Meg Myers - Take Me To The Disco

For me "Take Me To The Disco" was one of the most anticipated releases this year as soon as I heard its first single "Numb". Not too long ago I fell in love with Meg Myers and her debut "Sorry" so she raised the bar herself. Thankfully, her sophomore album is just as excellent (if not better) than its predecessor.

Speaking of "Numb", this song caught me off-guard with Meg's emotional vocal performance and Pixies-que instrumental background. It may strike you as a pretty standard composition but you can't just listen to it without crying out loud the chorus and bang slowly head as soon as the guitar solo kicks in. There are albums whose pilot singles are the strongest tracks and they leave you with disappointment but this isn't the case here at all. "Numb" may be the best song on "Take Me To The Disco"  and the rest of them are absolutely gorgeous as well.

The eponymous opener glances softly with a piano introduction similar to the "Donnie Darko" soundtrack and then floats away with a chilling atmosphere. Meg's voice has so much drive and dynamics that it feels like the songs wrote themselves around it. There is also the sense of vulnerability that makes "Take Me To The Disco" such an emotional rollercoaster powered by the lyrics - "I know this love will tear me to pieces / I know his hands will dig up my secrets / It's in your eyes, ah, you fucking liar / I know this love will tear me to pieces" ("Tear Me To Pieces").

Yes, she is stunning but so is her music so don't just stare but listen to "Take Me To The Disco"

Much like in her first album, Meg keeps the balance between an electronic-based rock (think Nine Inch Nails or Depeche Mode) and straightforward guitar-driven alternative pop-rock (some call it post-grunge). One of the many highlights is "The Death Of Me" with a sick piano hook but the real MVP here is Christian "Leggy" Langdon who makes this a sweet duet. The same guy actually helped Meg with more than just singing a verse and a chorus - he's both a producer and co-songwriter of the 90% of the material and apparently that pays off big time as the final product is near perfect.

When I said "many highlights", obviously I meant songs I like more than others at this very moment. One of the biggest accomplishments on "Take Me To The Disco" is that after every listening you can favorite a different tune cause any single one of them speaks to you more and more each time. For example, "Jealous Sea" seems to capture the darkest mood as Meg's whispering vocals add a lot of intensity - something I was unable to apprehend when it was previously released as a standalone single. Also, the album's closer "Constant" goes acoustic folk ballad style and as unoriginal on the pop scene it is these days, the violins create so much thrilling tension (especially at the bridge) - a thing that may have gone unnoticed by many.

In the end, "Take Me To The Disco" is a painful but captivatingly beautiful record. It tells stories about breakups, deceptions, jealousy and neverending drama with exceptional execution by Meg and her crew. She crafts it underneath her addictive voice as her emotions explode dramatically over. "Take Me To The Disco" could be a great contender for an "Album of the year". If you think this ain't your cup of tea, then go back to your German power metal or something.

Listen if you:

have a soft spot for captivating female rock voices

were already "hooked" with Meg's debut album

have never heard of this singer but you still love to discover new artists