Another supremely thoughtful and considered record on Florabelle, this time from the very man who leads the operation. Real Fun carries over some of the ideas explored on Milligan’s previous outing for the label, 2021’s Enter Outside, employing various layers of field recordings and textural ambience in narrative driven ways, but for the most part actually follows a similar sense of structure to that of label mate M. Sage’s highly regarded Wants A Diamond Pivots Bright, who, not coincidentally, also makes an appearance himself. Guest appearances are in fact a feature of both records, and on Real Fun in particular really does expand the palette of sounds Milligan is able to draw upon, utilising various strings and wind instruments to augment his customary aforementioned sound design skills. It’s music that feels both communal and deeply personal, which made it all the more impactful on discovering that the passing of Milligan’s parents held a large influence on his compositional process - I knew there was a reason why ‘A Moment With My Dad (An Abstraction To My Son)’ landed so affectingly, and not just for that unavoidably devastating title (blame depleted testosterone levels or the ghosts of my own personal traumas, but such music framed in that sort of way just wipes me clean out these days). Singling out specific tracks from such a thoughtfully - and purposefully - composed suite of work feels somewhat like missing the point (though if you need a way in, the song with M. Sage might just be it…). There’s experience and narrative embedded into these grooves that deserves to be taken as a whole. Sit with Real Fun a minute. Like the friendships it celebrates and the people it misses, it’s worthy of the time.
FFO: M. Sage, Taylor Duepree, Annie A/Felicia Atkinson, Blue Lake
