MELEE
Devils & Angles
Warner Brothers Records 2007
www.meleerocks.com

Genre
Pop rock

The Good
“Built to Last” starts off the album strong with a singer-songwriter feel to it. The piano lines blend well with the rich vocal melodies. There’s even just enough guitar thrown in to keep it from entering wuss-ville. “Rhythm of Rain” is accented by a great acoustic strumming pattern and catchy chorus section. Driving rhythms, chugga-chugga riffage, and subtle piano tear down the walls on “Frequently Baby (She’s a Teenage Maniac).” The track has so much bounce, you can dance to it.

Get ready to grab your Kleenex on the emotionally jarring, piano-based ballad “Can’t Hold On.” Soft strings are always a good method to really jerk those sorrowful emotions. The songs’ ending is simply powerful. “Imitation” has a Jackson Browne-ish quality to it, with its commanding piano and crafty songwriting. It’s a lot more forceful than anything Jackson’s put out though. “She’s Gonna Find Me Here” is a strict piano/vocal ballad with an 80s arena rock guitar run added for good measure.

The Bad
Zip!

The Verdict
Sign me up for the Melee bandwagon! Devils & Angels is a display of tremendous musicianship on an album that is sadly flying below the radar.

Did You Know?
Frontman Chris Cron describes the album’s theme as “being in your 20s in modern America.”

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne