Meg Myers Will Blow You Away

Meg Myers

I have to say this right away about Meg Myers.  It has been a long, long time since I have liked a new artist this much.

When I set out to discover new music, I look for something that will grab me and not let go, something that I don't want to stop listening to, that I can't wait to play first thing when I wake up.  Meg Myers is this good.  I can't stop listening to her.

For the purpose of this review, I am looking at her entire catalog to date, which is two EPs - "Daughter In the Choir"" (2013) and "Make A Shadow" (2014), as well as the single, "Sorry" (2015).

A newcomer on the pop music scene, she has already made some waves, because she has something that most artists don't have - passion, energy, and raw, raw emotion.  The amount of feeling that she puts into her songs is astounding.  She is already drawing inevitable comparisons to older artists like P.J. Harvey, Alanis Morrisette, Fiona Apple, and Sinead O'Connor.  None of these comparisons do her justice.  Maybe the closest would be Sinead O'Connor due to the emotional intensity.  Even though they are nothing alike in terms of sound, she is like Heather Nova, who was my favorite solo female artist in the '90s, because of their honest approach to music.

"Daughter In the Choir" starts out with a resplendent pop song with a vicious name - "Curbstomp".  And this title fits.  It starts with dazzling synthesizers and ends with Myers shredding her vocal chords as she howls the poignant lyrics.  The next song starts with a mournful piano as she sings a hymn to "Adelaide".  "Tennessee" speaks of her roots in the Deep South.  It is a spoken-word piece that drips with hilarious sarcasm and ends with an ironic banjo.  My teen daughter thinks this song is similar to that annoying "Selfie" song.  "Poison" rocks fierce like a Pixies song.  There are two versions of the song "Monster" - one an evocative piece with an acoustic guitar and cello, a perfect combination.  The other, a whomping dubstep version.

"Make A Shadow" starts out with a sexually charged song called "Desire".  My music guru, Nikki, who introduced me to Meg Myer's music, pointed out that this song is a female response to Nine Inch Nail's "Closer".  The next song is "Go", and its mad pulse and the shrieks at the end will have you headbanging.  The EP finishes strongly with the music box tune of "The Morning After".

"Sorry" is the newest single, and it is a great example of what a great artist she is.  The electronic pulse and her voice keep building up in tension until she gives you full release at the end.  Honestly, every single song is great.  Just a few days ago, Meg announced that her debut album will come out.  I am so excited about it.  I bumped this review to the top of my list so that I can be ready for the album when it comes out.

Meg Myers is now one of my favorite artists.  I can't rave enough about her.  If you haven't heard her, you need to check her out so that you can say that you liked her before she explodes onto the scene.  Because if you haven't heard of her, trust me, you will.