Review Summary: pretty good Myspace-era sister indie-rock band
Meg & Dia are a sister band from Utah who began in 2004, writing and performing acoustic ballads. After releasing their debut album,
Our Home is Gone, in 2005, they recruited a drummer, bassist, and lead guitarist in order to adopt a fuller rock sound. In 2006, the eponymous band, now a five-piece, went back to the studio to record their second album,
Something Real. This album contains rock versions of
Masterpiece,
Nineteen Stars, and
Indiana from their previous album, as well as a plethora of original songs.
The songwriting on
Something Real is straightforward, with verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus prevailing throughout. The instrumentals as well are fairly standard for an acoustic-turned-rock band, and I can't think of a single thing to comment on about them otherwise. Where
Something Real shines, however, is in Dia's vocals and lyrics. Her pouty singing-style, oftentimes harmonized with by Meg, makes for catchy melodies aplenty, and gives an overall moody-emo-girl vibe to the album. Many of the lyrics, in contrast to the album title, are about fictional books, including (according to Wikipedia)
East of Eden by John Steinbeck,
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, and
Indiana by Amantine Aurore Dupine. Although I haven't read any of these books, and am also an ignoramus in regards to any other sources of inspiration for the lyrics on the album, I can attest that a lot of the lines are descriptive, fun, and thought-provoking.
Meg & Dia remained consistent with the quality of their music as time went on, but
Something Real, with the help of the band's most popular single Monster, as well as its release during the Myspace-era, has become the preferred nostalgic choice for many longtime fans of the band. For those who may consider listening to the album for the first time, I can forewarn that the production is about what one would expect from a low-income indie-rock band in 2006; however, I find that the rougher sound lends itself perfectly to this type of by-the books indie-rock band. So do yourself a favor if you want something real: listen to this album, and if you enjoy it, then listen to the rest of Meg & Dia's discography, as they didn't dip in quality like most other similar bands from this time period.
