Timmy Milner and the Happy Sad- “All I Can Ain't Enough”
Timmy Milner and the Happy Sad’s “All I Can Ain't Enough” is built around a really simplistic, yet clever arrangement. There is a great chugging sound that shuffles as if it came directly from a Phil Spector record on the main verses. It creates a pulsating, head-nodding groove. The percussion and arrangement are clearly harking back to the mid 1960s and, for me, it hits all of my sweet spots.
The piano keys create a really wonderful melody throughout the song and wonderfully tie the whole arrangement together. The song then transitions into a Kinks-like section, which would sit really happily in “Waterloo Sunset.” This 1960s trippy beast is unquestionably distinctly English in its style. The touches of feedback that are added to the middle sections are inspired and lend the song a real nice edge. The final rhythm change is the cherry on top, delivering a fantastic final tribute to the 1960s. When it comes to the vocal delivery, it is soft and perfectly suits the song’s theme. The vocals aren’t as intense as a song by The Kinks– there is no falsetto, but yet it still suits the song.
Lyrically, “All I Can Ain't Enough” covers a typical American adolescent experience– how others tell people to dream, while also telling them to focus and choose a career. This is a welcome dose of nostalgia with a little bit of angst and plenty of whimsical humour.
Be sure to catch it on Spotify and add it to your favorite playlist: