Mêlée is a pop rock band from Orange County, California. Devils & Angels is their second album, released over a year ago in the U.S., although it didn't get my attention until its release and promotion of the single "Built to Last" in the UK this summer.Devils & Angels is about as straight up a pop/rock album you can get. No indie punk tricks here. The band's upbeat songs exude rich melodies, driven prominently by piano and guitar with sweet singing and an emphasis on the strong choruses. "Built to Last" is a prime example, a great opener, with a strong chorus reminiscent of The New Radicals "You Get What You Give." "Rhythm of Rain" has a stronger guitar emphasis, both electric and acoustic, but retains a similarly strong melody while being more downbeat.
"Frequently Baby (She's a Teenage Maniac)" brings back the piano and ups the tempo to a frenetic California pace. Here they remind me of the The Feeling's more upbeat efforts. Then the band switches gears on "For a Lifetime," infusing a bit of small town angst, but not losing any of the driving tempo. The piano on "For a Lifetime" is particularly impressive, and the song has a strong '80s vibe to it. In general, the sound here is a reminder of that late '80s/early '90s male pop/rock sound--think Bryan Adams, Hall & Oates, Richard Marx, Tom Cochrane, etc.
After a strong opening, the album sags a bit in the middle. It kind of feels like they pulled out all their best tricks on the first four tracks, and then the rest sounds about the same. "Drive Away" follows in that charging '80s pop/rock vein. "Can't Hold On" is the first slow song. It's quite earnest, as you'd expect, with piano chord combos building with acoustic guitar and strings for the big chorus. It's the kind of song a band likes to have in their pockets in case they become famous enough to fill stadiums. I'm quite impressed with the band's lead singer, Chris Cron. He's got a great voice and plays piano very well too. I wonder he does both at once when they play live?
The only other song that really stands out for me is "She's Gonna Find Me Here." Every song but this one is a huge production. This song is mostly just Chris on vocal and piano, with a few production tweaks. It's more understated, and it's quite lovely.
Overall, I appreciate what the band is doing. I like the strong emphasis on melody and well-crafted pop songs. I'm just not sure it's something I see myself listening to long term. A little more experimentation would have been nice. Still, I can't complain about any of these songs, it's just that after the opening salvo, they lost their distinctiveness.
Best: Built to Last, For a Lifetime, She's Gonna Find Me Here, Frequently Baby, Rhythm of Rain
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