Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, based on name alone, may sound like a president on first offing, but give his eponymous, debut album a spin and you'll soon realize a more relevant career has presented itself for this 25-year-old Brooklyn bard. This is modern music made the old-fashioned way: take ragged, soulful and completely compelling hymns for tough times, throw into the mix an impressive array of backing musicians, and just record what happens. His sophomore album is Summer of Fear, out October 20th on Saddle Creek Records. New York has been sadly lacking a proper troubadour looking at the stars while mired in the gutter--but in Miles, we have our man.

What’s Been Said: “As dramatic and erratic as Robinson is, his songs never flirt with histrionics, nor do they hide his shameless, troubling relationships with sex and drugs and alcohol. His album is a mess of riffs and poetry you can get drunk on, in the bar or your bedroom.” — FADER

“The gripping, gorgeous Summer of Fear trades fractured gray folk for multihued and ambitiously arranged Americana. To hear the swooping strings on ‘Summer of Fear pt. 1′ or the stately horns parading across the 11-minute ‘Losing 4 Winners’ is to witness catharsis crafted with both passion and smarts.” — SPIN

“Much like Conor Oberst, Robinson may be surrounded by friends and their democratic noises, but his burdens are all his own. The bands and artists already mentioned help provide some of Robinson’s sonic signposts as well. The art-soul bleat of TVOTR is there, though MBAR steers more towards Dylan/Band loose-ended ramble than Bowie-styled museum pieces, putting him more in line with Oberst, Phosphorescent, and even the Arcade Fire.” — Pitchfork


Listen:
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - "The Sound"