Milo sits motionless. He’s in hell, literally. Weathered, haggard, exhausted, this bloodied bunny toy is a shattered glimpse of his former self.
Is he scared? He’s certainly shaking. But it’s not fear he feels, oh no. Memories of love and loss flicker rapidly on and off, as the rage returns and the murderous intent takes grip, again. The cycle complete, we circle back to the beginning.
2. When We Were Us
[Background: Flashing back several years, we briefly meet Milos as he was – in Berlin, as World War II looms into view]
Bought for Bethanie, a blissfully carefree little slip of a girl, she plays with our pocket-sized protagonist. Clutched close to her chest as she bounds about, this is as blissful a beginning as you could hope.
Outside of her view however, are threatening presences and the spectre of her distressed parents, as they decide the best thing amongst the onset of a brutal war is to send her away.
3. Depart/Arrive/Depart
The journey is a long one, at a fast and steady pace, but Milos is there to keep Bethanie company. He does so as best as he knows own.
This is a new life, a second beginning. But, Bethanie realises, why would she want such a thing? Nervous and frightened, she arrives. Feeling a stranger, she begs Milos to return to their home – and to find and retrieve her family.
4. Satan Instead
Leaving while his owner sleeps, Milos sure to protect her from the pain of goodbye. He stows away unhidden on various gruelling modes transport, making it back days (or weeks?) later.
Milos finds their old home. It’s a shell containing demolished wreckage. He knows the parents are dead, snatched and disposed of. As two soldiers enter to inspect the building, he appears behind them and swiftly snaps their necks with both savagery and grace.
5. Abandoned Milos
Eventually, a shell-shocked Milos falls asleep, the sounds of explosions and gunfire raging outside. Although he misses Bethanie so much, after what’s taken place he realises he can never see her again.
Milos awakes. All that he had held dear is now dead to him. The deepest melancholy he has ever experienced takes hold of him, and as he lets go he becomes reborn as an angel of vengeance.
6. Cycle of Vengeance
Steadying himself, steeling himself, Milos embarks on his neverending Nazi-killing spree – forever small and unseen, brutal and effective and brilliant. Never forgetting what has been lost, he never hesitates, never relents, will never stop. He drags the bastards to hell, sealing the exit from the inside.
Milos was the most carefree toy you could ever have met, if only you had met him at the beginning.
credits
released August 26, 2022
All songs written, produced, mixed, and mastered by Popcorn Fiend.
A killer re-release of a rare solo post-punk LP from 1988 by the frontman of Taste of Decay and Garden of Pleasures. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 17, 2022