Sara Lov seems to have emerged from the Hotel Café generation. Her light and fuzzy singer/songwriter songs are similar enough to Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareillis, and Lenka that it’s like they all decided at a slumber party in the late 80’s that they would be grow up to be famous singers and be best friends forever and Sara Lov is just the dark horse of the ranks (and I have no idea if they’re all BFFs or not). Lov hails from Los Angeles by way of Israel and Hawaii, and is a former member of the Devics, a dream pop band with a number of albums to their name. Here Lov ventures only a little ways from her dream pop roots and presents a lovely piano-based EP and full-length that is worth repeated visits.
Lov’s The Young Eyes EP opens with “New York”, a typical forlorn love song – we all have that friend from college we visit in New York and reminisce with about “the long ago.” Lov’s songs are relatable and though mellow in sound are not entirely made of despair and longing, though she does touch on those subjects. She breaks up the mellow with “Timebomb”, a perky but less discothèque Beck cover. While an excellent take, her Arcade Fire cover of “My Body is A Cage” is fabulous enough to overtake the rest of the EP. It has the same amount of emotion as the original without the need for much added instrumentation. Absolutely gorgeous.
Her follow-up full-length Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming (to be released in March) turns it up just a notch. It contains a more produced sound, but in essence retains the same spirit as her EP. The album starts out with “Just Beneath the Chords”, a very 1970’s-sounding ballad. “A Thousand Bees” has the feel of a lost George Harrison song with its arrangement and sage message. “Old Friends” is an obscure Simon & Garfunkel cover that is done so well and thoroughly claimed by Sara Lov it seamlessly flows with the rest of her original work. The title track is more updated and modern in sound, much more akin to the ladies of the Hotel Café, but doesn’t detract from the work as a whole. By the end track, “Fountain”, made familiar by it’s inclusion on an episode of “Bones”, one feels satisfied and enlightened.
This is a woman whose voice isn’t as affected as so many current female singers. She knows music and knows how to convey it properly. She has an almost child-like voice, but more commanding with her adult years. It’s not the over-powering wail so favored today, but a croon, a siren in the mythical sense. The frequent cello mixed with her voice give the EP especially a haunting feel, but not enough to make it dark cabaret or goth. Lov’s records are a lovely example of modern folk rock, with soothing instrumentals and vocals that portrays a certain mix of emotions, a certain maturity.
Overall there’s a retro feel to Sara Lov’s music. Her gentle use of slow chord progressions, light drums, and echoed riffs bring to mind early solo Beatles and the era of classic pop singer/songwriters. She doesn’t produce a full-on copy of the sound, but rather a revival and reference out of love for it. Her music reflects her voice – she is a girl who is emerging as a woman, and is coming to realize the differences of perspectives she thought of life from before. Lov has crafted a wonderful album of inspirational and relaxing songs that don’t jar or cajole but ease and comfort.-By: Amanda Mae Monson
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