MUSI C REVI EW
Cry Baby, Melanie Martinez
My Head is an Animal,
Of Monsters and Men
W hat comes t o your mind when you hear words
like ?dollhouse?, ?soap?, ?t raining wheels?, and
?M rs. Pot at o Head?? I mages and object s t hat
remind you of a blissful childhood? M elanie
M art inez?s album Cry Baby creat ively infuses
mat ure concept s int o t hese seemingly childish
words. This adapt at ion makes it very difficult
for list eners t o guess t he cont ent of t he songs
before act ually list ening t o t hem. For inst ance,
t he song ?Dollhouse?, unlike it s name, in
act ualit y cont rast s a seemingly perfect
ext rovert ed life wit h an int rovert ed life full of
t urmoil and devast at ion. ?M rs. Pot at o Head?
incorporat es t he use of met aphor by comparing
cust omized children?s t oy t o plast ic surgery. I n
addit ion t o her ingenious songwrit ing skills,
M elanie M art inez?s unforget t ably soft vocals
enhance t he power of t he songs. She sings
provocat ive
lyrics
emot ionally
and
wholeheart edly, suggest ing t hat she is not
afraid t o reveal her inner feelings t o her
audience. This album will most likely appeal t o
lovers of pop and/or alt ernat ive music, as it
appropriat ely fuses quirky melodies wit h
heart felt lyrical cont ent s.
There is a saying, ?I f you want t o t ravel in
t ime, read, but if you want t o escape t ime,
list en t o music.? This st at ement is only
part ially correct , as t here exist s a mast erpiece
t hat will allow you t o perform bot h: Of
M onst ers and M en?s first album M y Head is an
Animal.
Of M onst ers and M en?s st yle is unlike t hat of
any ot her. The mesmerizing blend of t he
fragile female vocal and husky male vocal is
indubit ably ent hralling and capt ivat ing. The
most out st anding feat ures of t his album are it s
exist ing met aphors, fable- like lyrics, and
subt le st oryline.
?Howling ghost s t hey reappear
I n mount ains t hat are st acked wit h fear
But you're a king and I 'm a lion- heart .?
The song lyrics in t his album are accompanied
by organic inst rument al music and acoust ic
verses, making t he songs resemble haunt ingly
beaut iful lullabies. I f you are looking for a
bedt ime st ory t o free yourself from all of your
t roubles and fill up t he vacancy in your heart ,
M y Head I s an Animal is t he perfect opt ion.
St andout t racks: Dollhouse, Carousel, Soap,
Training W heels, Pit y Part y, M rs. Pot at o
Head, M ad Hat t er
(Nhu Pham)
(Daniel K im)
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