Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

To fall in love with art when you know you could never bring into the world something of extreme fascination or beauty is to feel a pulse of the universe reward you for your ability to feel, if not to do, then at least connect in ways that many will never understand.

Some may call it a natural affinity, others an empathy or a soul divination, but perhaps we are looking at it a way that doesn’t have an explanation, perhaps it is just a fact that in some respects miracles exist, that marvels find the right wavelength and choose a mind in which to inhabit and sink their artistic D.N.A into.

The Miracle Mile return to the consciousness of the listener with the tantalising East Of Ely, a calming drama of influence that the listener will appreciate in such a way that it will be seen as a comfort, a soothing number that requires thought and a firm dedication to the sense of fluidity that underscores with a fine nib and a stroke of decision; a sense of depth that thrills the heart, and gives in to the presentation of a miracle; a wonder that nurtures and blossoms across the entire album.

Through tracks such as the opener Appletree, Sparrows, Postcards From Happisburgh, the exquisite Ocean Of Song, and Chapel Flower Morning, Miracle Mile reach out and perform that miracle, but one intended, one that was always going to be delivered with impunity and a devilish side stare that could be mistaken for the soft smile of an angel at midnight sipping 40 year old Scotch.

East Of Ely is an album that understands seclusion, the need for apart from the world, but one driven by intention, but by the calmness offered to us by a spot on the map that no one else can touch, that is ours alone, and which we happily reside in whilst art can find a way to be the ultimate influencer; and for Miracle Mile, that influence, that care, is once again aiding our own nee for a safe harbour to nestle in.

Ian D. Hall