The dreamy Hawaii-born vocalist Sara Lov started her musical career back in 1996 as the front woman of the dream pop band Devics. Then, when things fizzled almost a decade later, Lov figured she might as well go solo. She immediately hitched up with Nettwerk, who have made her new solo career fully blossom, and now, just two months after the release of The Young Eyes EP , her stunning debut album Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming is here.
At each turn, Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming shows itself to be a unique art form. From the cover arts delicate flower design to Lovs echoing folk tunes to the entire album’s riff on the idealism of youth, Lov marks a journey of the self thats both positive and reassuring. The music is as moody as expected, with heartfelt vocals and Lovs seductive cool, which comes across as both dark and devious while still managing to sound somewhat heavenly.
Surprisingly, Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming only features two of the five tracks from her recent EP, in turn consisting of eight catchy and hypnotic new tracks. Lov shows her versatility on this record with the inclusion of theatrical keyboard melodies and wavering guitar riffs. However, it must be noted that Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming carries a sound reminiscent of the languorous pop melodies she created with Devics.
Just Beneath The Chords starts things off at a slow pace, with its unique marxophone backing melody that sparks feelings of a boat rocking gently amongst the waves. Now, if you’ve got no clue what a marxophone actually is then you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s a rare fretless zither instrument with four sets of chord strings, pretty neat huh? After that were hit with Frankie which stunningly showcases Lovs shaky and distant vocals. Later on, the haunting piano melody of New York sends chills down our spines, as the title track knocks us back shortly afterwards with a quaint guitar melody and the muffled tap-tap of a snare drum.
The charming duet Animals featuring a musical dialogue between her and Alex Brown Church is a personal favorite. Essentially its a breakup song, but it comes across as something much deeper than that, as its led steadily by a simplistic and jaunty guitar melody. Also, the eerie ballad Tell Me How is another solid tune about relationships and inevitable breakups.
What really makes this album stand out, however, is Lovs introspective and thought provoking lyrics. In A Thousand Bees Lov cries out almost quizzically, how sweet is the revenge/when you dont want it anymore/how meaningless the defense/when youre not fighting anymore. Then later on, Lov reminds us of how easy it is to get hurt in Fountain” when she remarks, dont you wish you could throw your pennies back at them/fountain fountain/ we are the same. Its clear that Lov has a way with words that hit hard.
Running just under forty minutes, the ten track record is a tad short, but overwhelmingly enjoyable. Its witty, its touching and most importantly its sincere; a quality which is hard to find these days. Plain and simple Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming is simply stunning. And if Lov manages to keep up at this pace, 2009 might have a few more goodies ahead from this sweet folk rock singer.
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