All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do is a reflectional late night conversation, that The Milk Carton Kids tell surrounded by the soft addition of instrumentation. The tracklist will embrace you and allow you to fall into vulnerability as you absorb the elements the music hands you.
The vocals welcome you as they weave poetic language over a purposeful cocktail of stringed instruments, with the delicate rhythm of a drum behind. ‘Younger Years’ is an echo of the past, ‘‘My younger years were wasted on my youth” – a list of observations and regrets. The duo’s vocals harmonise so perfectly it’s hard to believe it’s a duo.
All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do is a testament to storytelling through music. The finale ‘All the Things…’ summarises the experiences of the men singing it, projecting images of the past. Once it reaches its timely end, reciting the album title over a declining set of guitar strums, it grants you closure as you hear the final exhale and the fading sounds of the guitar strings.
8
