Review: Dead Sara - Pleasure To Meet You [2015]

 

    I have been awaiting this album for quite some time now. Having fallen in love with the LA rock outfit Dead Sara since seeing the video for and hearing the song Weatherman, the self titled album blew me away. Frontwoman Emily Armstrong's voice stands out amongst many other singers out there right now, not even just the female ones. She is able to sing melodies that blend with guitarist Siouxsie Medley's sexy riffs in such a wonderful way. Dead Sara somehow manage to be both bluesy, heavy, energetic and mellow all in one album. The follow up, Pleasure To Meet You, has proven to have similar dynamics and just as catchy tunes.

   I already posted two tracks from this album already, Mona Lisa and Something Good. Mona Lisa was a little bit harder to grasp at first; there's quite a bit going on in the song. After a while, you find yourself humming the intro, playing the verses in your head and every so often shouting "I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BUT IT AIN'T GONNA BE WHAT YOU LIKE!" Something Good comes at you straight away as just a really sweet and well-penned country-tinged song. The melodies, both vocal and guitar, are something your gran could even appreciate, but there's enough bite that it just doesn't seem like a cheesy pop song. This song has already had a bit of airplay and TV exposure that I'd be quite disappointed if it doesn't become a massive hit. It's like a slightly harder HAIM song....and everyone likes HAIM, right?
    The song Suicidal was a good choice for album opener...unless it was purposely made that way. It shows the band's heavier side, in a similar way to debut album tracks such as Weatherman and my personal favourite Test On My Patience. I haven't asked the band themselves the real meaning behind the song, but judging behind the lyrics it does seem to be speaking to those who have ever thought their life wasn't enough and telling them that they should never give up. It seems to be almost laughing at one's own concept of wanting to end their life, which I for one can relate to. If this is not quite the meaning of the song, then that's at least what I take from it when I head bang along to "Run and blow my life away. I wake up to another day."
   All the songs on this album have something special about them; there's a little bit of something for everyone. Lovesick, Greaser and Feel Right At Home all lie in the mainstream hard rock category, with catchy choruses and mixtures of heavier and softer parts. "Baby we're lovesick" is a chorus you won't be forgetting in a hurry and Greaser's chorus will have you waving your arms side to side while also trying not to break into Buggles' Video Killed The Radio Star (you'll know what I mean). Feel Right at Home has more of a groove to it than the others, coming off a bit like Black Crowes (whom I love). Mr Mr has an almost Black Keys vibe. It has echoey guitars and bluesy riffs along with pounding drums. There's a riff at the midway mark and at the end of the whole song which gives the song a headbanging quality.
    Radio One Two is possibly the nearest this album has to a punk rock song. Starting off with more of a new wave sound, it breaks out into a joyous singalong. Every song could be considered to have mainstream likability. There are also two slow songs on the album; Blue Was The Beautiful You and For You I Am. The former is bluesy with an explosive chorus and the latter sounds at times like it could be an Alanis song (which isn't a bad thing) and is slow but builds and builds into something emotionally beautiful.
        If you haven't listened to Dead Sara yet and you consider yourself a rock music fan, then I suggest you get on it straight away. They are a super cohesive unit, with Emily's voice definitely being at the forefront. This album has every chance to hit mainstream success; hopefully, it already is. It's hard to pick highlights as it changes at every listen, but Radio One Two and Something Good stand out for me right now. Whether the album itself is as good as the self titled album, I don't know...but it definitely hits a spot.

5/5