Artist: Meg & Dia
Album: Here, Here and Here
Label: Sire Records
Release: April, 29, 09
The improvement from Meg & Dia’s debut Something Real and their latest release is astounding. I typically do not like it when bands jump from a small indie to a major, but in this specific case the payoff was beyond worth the risk.
With this album I can hear the maturity. The song writing, structures and lyrics are so much stronger. I don’t know if it’s Meg or Dia who typically does the majority of the lyric writing on songs where they are listed as co-authors, but to whomever the credit is due, there is much to be proud of. Many of the songs are filled with witty and very poetic lyrics which is very refreshing considering the fact that Meg & Dia are a pop rock band at the core. I don’t mind the fact that I’m not catching as many references to literature as I believe some of these lyrics are literature in their own right.
Then we get to Dia’s vocals. This is where the album shines; her growth as a singer is fantastic. I love the snottiness and the brassiness found in her vocal delivery. I feel songs that feature such a vocal delivery are where the band shines and most of those songs appear in the first half of the record.
As the album continues into the second half, they do begin to experiment some more but I don’t feel they ever fall flat. In fact, my favorite song (if forced to pick one) shows up in the latter portion of the record. Pop records have always been heavy on the front half and it’s nice to hear an album keep its spark throughout.
I was a fan of Something Real when it came out, but now that I have Here, Here and Here it makes it hard to go back. I believe that should be the highest compliment for the Frampton sisters and their bandmates. As artists, we hope to grow and that is just what this band has done. Now I only wish they weren’t on Warped Tour all summer so I could catch a show.
Favorite songs: Tracks 1-9, 11 & 13 with my favorites being “What If” and “Fighting for Nothing”
RIYL: catchy pop rock with rock and roll brass
Score: 9/10
