Trying to get friends into the music of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is very difficult. Not because you wouldn’t expect them to enjoy it, but because his name is such a mouthful. That didn’t stop me, however, as I needed as many people as possible to hear the first song on his self-titled debut. “Buriedfed” was the most powerful and emotionally-driven song that no one was listening to. The fact that you could fill two pages with the amount of lyrics in the song is impressive, and the intensity of the music and singing gave me chills. The rest of the album is excellent as well, to a point where I took the trip to The Village one day after an intercontinental flight to see him perform for an hour. Only a year later, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is signed to Saddle Creek and is releasing his second album, Summer of Fear, which is a bit more experimental. The songs can range in emotion, from a general high to an almost crushing low, and the power in each word sung hasn’t ceased. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson’s new album didn’t let me down, successfully moving me with over an hour of emotionally charged folk-rock that doesn’t let up for a minute.

“Shake a Shot” starts off on a pretty upbeat note, which you don’t expect from a man whose music has generally been fueled with negative emotion. The singing is on the softer side, but the bittersweet crooning starts early and sounds amazing. “Shake a Shot” starts things off by easing into Robinson's musical stylings in a relaxed fashion. The angst picks up in “Always an Anchor,” where the musical technique that Robinson uses—singing off of the music, before diving back in to hit a great note—is impressive. The violin solo is perfect and “Always an Anchor” is the first song where you get a chance to embrace yourself in Robinson’s singing. “The Sound” isn't an attention grabber any real sense, until the falsetto kicks in. It’s a bit weird sounding, but the occasional quirkiness of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is far from bothersome.

If I felt a need to call a song on Summer of Fear boring, “Hard Row” would be it. Not much happens in this slow moving piece. “Trap Door” makes sure that the calm doesn’t last. The song samples some very loud singing, and a no-holds-barred guitar piece that doesn’t resemble folk in any sense, shows more of Robinson’s experimental attitude . “The 100th of March” builds up into an absolutely fantastic song. The trombone over the basically spoken vocals is just divine, and by the end the horn section takes over. “Gold and Grey” follows as a song without tons to offer, basically in the same sense as “Hard Row.”

The best part of Summer of Fear begins on the song, “Summer of Fear Pt.1”. Robinson’s vocal range is superb and works great on the duet he sings here. That gorgeous bittersweet mood of songs like this can hardly be matched. In the song's final minute it kicks into a higher gear, with a fast guitar riff played over some depressingly honest lyrics. “Death By Dust” has the same incredible vocal quality with a few strange guitar licks. The last minute is where it all comes together, with the violin matching a very powerful almost shouting bit. Then “Summer of Fear Pt.2,” my favorite song on the album, begins. When Robinson is sad, you want to know every detail of why. His music becomes so powerful, creeping up on you until you almost want to cry with him. There aren’t many musicians who can work so well with intensity , which is what makes Robinson's music so gripping.

“Losing 4 Winners” continues the somber mood. The twangy guitar chords lead the way, forcing Robinson to sing in tune with the music. That’s definitely not where he’s most comfortable, but he does it well anyway. Seeing the length of “More Than a Mess” gave me pause. Eleven and half minutes seems like a bit much. The song contains a simple guitar riff over Robinson talking for most of the song. He is preaching here, and you should sit down and listen to the whole thing. “Boat” calms things down to end Summer of Fear, on a very mellow note. Until the singing starts, of course. At that point you’ll get completely hooked on each fervent word until the end. This is the seemingly effortless spell that Robinson casts. The sheer will of his feelings make almost every one of his songs worthwhile.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is the type of person who could get a crowd of strangers hooked on his every word, whether spoken or sung. Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio called Mr. Robinson his favorite songwriter last year. You can definitely hear the influence of TVOTR, with the addition of many instruments and little quirks that didn’t come up as much on his debut. While the additional instruments are nice, the general intensity of the man with four names is one that is almost unmatched. When asked why he uses all four names Robinson said, “Indecisiveness and a generally contrarian nature.” Indecisive and contrarian don’t define the man well though, because each word he sings seems like the perfect one. It may be a hassle, but I’ll keep saying all four names to anyone willing to listen.

Track List:
1. Shake a Shot (3:23)
2. Always an Anchor (4:12)
3. The Sound (5:31)
4. Hard Row (3:27)
5. Trap Door (4:05)
6. The 100th of March (5:47)
7. Gold and Grey (3:05)
8. Summer of Fear Pt. 1 (5:02)
9. Death by Dust (4:36)
10. Summer of Fear Pt. 2 (5:28)
11. Losing 4 Winners (3:39)
12. More than a Mess (11:34)
13. Boat (6:34)