The smallest Creature - Million

The smallest Creature

Million
self-released; 2016

​3.8 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Stefanos Marnerides is the brainchild of The smallest Creature. The name was first used as the moniker for Marnerides in 2007. What was a solo act turned into a trio with Lacovos Stylianides and Stephanos Nicolaou.

It should be noted that the band is from Cyprus. As someone who was raised in the United States I have very little idea what rock bands sound like in that corner of the earth. I mean you hear about a lot of bands coming out of England or Australia for example but I can’t say I’m familiar with the rock scene coming out of Cyprus. Turns out The smallest Creature influences don’t seem to differ much from most places on earth. The band takes some influence from some bands that originated in the ’90s like Radiohead, Muse and Stone Temple Pilots.

The band's album Million is a solid effort with impressive production and songwriting. It’s a consistent album as the band treats us to eleven songs that are well written. They get into it with “High Low You.”  Within the first minute the band displays their dynamic range. They reach some notable heights with the most epic being right under the four-minute mark where it sounds like the vocalist’s voice is breaking apart. 

“Enchanting” has a bit of a futuristic matrix type vibe while “Reboot” is more mellow with an acoustic guitar. The next song “Copenhagen” is one that really stuck out to me. It has a ballad type feel but also reminded of ’90s bands like Blur. Great song.

As the album progresses I really can't say there were any songs that disappointed. There were a couple however that stuck out including “Coward's Wish,” “Angel” and the closer “Sleep Baby.” 

​I also thought the lyrics throughout the album avoided cliches and quite original. Not something you see all the time. The smallest Creature is a good band and if I ever find myself in Cyprus I’ll make sure to see them live.

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