May 29th, 2012 
Josh Hammond 
Artist: PS I Love You
Album: Death Dreams
Genre: Rock, Indie
Label: Paper Bag Records
Every person has skeletons. Somewhere in their basement, covered in years of dust and cobwebs, there are boxes of forgotten memories and embarrassing proof of former lives. At our simplest, each box holds handfuls of incriminating photographs, ugly outfits and abandoned love letters. Some attics hide more pressing horrors. Those darkened rooms creep into our psyches, reminding us of the people we love and how vulnerable we are to the desire for them to approve of us.
Though Death Dreams screams of reoccurring slumber interrupted by night terrors, the shadows and darkness it casts over its listeners reminds me so much of the insecurity felt when hiding from your past. PS I Love You flawlessly manage to create a concept of frantic and aggressive setting with a subject matter that is usually addressed with adjectives like depression and drowning. More impressive is the manner in which they do so. Somehow balancing punk, glam and metal, the band conjures up their fears of mortality in an Andrew W.K.”Party Hard” kind of way. With huge guitar solos (think The Darkness) and driving, fist-pump drums, the massive build ups of the album not only manage to get in your face but also get you on your feet. There is something extremely special about the technique of this album that I would like to see transcend indie, slam onto radio and alter the modern music scene. Anything less would just be a disappointment.
Because of its harsh nature and standoffish vibe, there is a slight chance that this album could take some time to get its fingers into you. However, once it does, the elements of brilliance start falling off the shelves. With each listen layers seems to unfold. Through headphone, you manage to hear the cymbals, hidden perfectly under the wall of guitars during the instrumental opener “Death Dreams.” Five listens in, you catch the fear cringing in Paul Saulnier’s voice during “Don’t Go.” On your car speakers, the driving drums stand out to you in the chorus of “Sentimental Dishes.” Piece by piece the album comes together. One moment at a time, the album inches towards clarity, similar to the way a patient confesses their secrets to a therapist.The process is slow, but once everything comes together, you’re left with a sense of wondering how you were ever anywhere else.
Death Dreams is nothing short of where the bar should be set in music. It is not only worth a listen, it deserves to be on your shelf. In a world of musicians serving as cogs in an endless factory of replaceable parts, PS I Love You is both fresh and unique. Skipping right over the dreaded sophomore slump the band manages to not only keep themselves from stumbling, the find a way to crank out one of 2012’s best albums. This sleeper is a gem among rocks.
Depressing or not it should not be denied.
9/10 stars
- REVIEW TIMES TWO: Kevin Devine – ‘Bubblegum’ & ‘Bulldozer’ - October 21, 2013
- TLC Return With New Album, Biopic, and Surprise Announcement - July 25, 2013
- REVIEW: Driver Friendly – Peaks + Valleys - June 11, 2013
Posted in 
Tags: 