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Milk Carton Kids' 'All The Things That I Did...' Captures A Duo In Transition

The Milk Carton Kids' <em></em>new album, <em>All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do, </em>comes out June 29.
Joshua Black Wilkins
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Courtesy of the artist
The Milk Carton Kids' new album, All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do, comes out June 29.

Note: NPR's First Listen audio comes down after the album is released. However, you can still listen with the Spotify or Apple Music playlist at the bottom of the page.


The Milk Carton Kids' Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale have long drawn influence from the rich vocal harmonies of Simon & Garfunkel, the intricately twinned acoustic guitars of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and, in concert, the deadpan/goofy banter of The Smothers Brothers. Even when a song feels derivative, the band's core ingredients — not to mention a gift for warm, intricate songcraft — render The Milk Carton Kids' records practically irresistible.

It helps that, while their influences haven't gotten lost, Ryan and Pattengale have long since acquired a willingness to stretch out creatively. Take the Joe Henry-produced All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do, whose centerpiece ("One More for the Road") spans more than 10 minutes as the pair reflect on a desire to prolong a doomed relationship just a little bit longer. Even for a song about lingering, it takes its time — with the help of a full band, a welcome addition — and gathers emotional heft along the way.

In many ways, All the Things That I Did... is meant to reflect several years' worth of upheaval in the duo's lives, from Ryan having kids to Pattengale surviving cancer and ending a relationship. Together, they've written a batch of wearily delicate (and, in the case of the rambling and rootsy "Big Time," zingy) songs about major transitions — both personally and, in "Mourning in America," politically. But the darkness that seeps in is leavened, as always, by the sun-dappled beauty of two voices, perfectly paired.

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Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)