Music
Press
Bottomline: Megan McCauley's debut 'Better Than Blood' portrays a very young artist with incredible potential. It is also evident that McCauley has above average songwriting skills and a firm grasp on her vocal approach. - TuneLab Music
Wind-Up Records regular Megan McCauley is finally getting a full-length solo effort after contributing to a handful of soundtracks produced by the New York label. Judging from the cover and title, Better Than Blood, one almost expects a set of emo/goth/punk razor rock; but this album is a mix of styles that defy expectations by exceeding them.
If some of the songs sound familiar, then you're probably a collector of superhero movie soundtracks. The lilting "Reverie," which sounds as though it could have been written for Wind-Up staple Amy Lee, appeared on the "Fantastic Four" soundtrack. Similarly, the pop-ballad "Wonder" was tucked into the song list of the "Elektra" soundtrack. So it's about time the artist was given her full-length debut.
McCauley credits rock and roll icon Janis Joplin as her musical inspiration. "She was glamorous and sexy in her own right," says McCauley. "She had a raw sexuality while also being very strong and independent. If she wanted to, she'd go up on stage smashed. She was completely liberal in every way. I was -- and still am -- enamored by that. If it wasn't for Janis, there would have never been a match that lit the fire in me." The album's opening track, "Migraine," sets the mood for the majority of the new tracks. A blending of Nirvana and Aimee Allen, the lyrics are edged -- often angry, always raw. In the case of "I'll Pay You to Shoot Him," they're even autobiographical.
- The Trades
Album Review:
"Pink leopard print? Oh, this can't be good" was my first thought when I opened up Megan McCauley's Wind-up debut, Better than Blood. But after listening to this album, I realized that I still haven't fully learned the lesson that appearances can be deceiving.
On most of the album, McCauley uses her powerful pipes to belt out some fairly straight-forward rock tunes. Songs like "Wrong Way Out", "Reverie" and "Wonder" highlight McCauley versatility as a vocalist and willingness to work outside the box. These are some of the strongest tracks.
McCauley's performance on "Porcelain Doll" has all the elements that every singer should strive for. Great song-writing combined with precise, but delicate control and occasional burst of power. Her vocals on this song are simply gorgeous.
"Tap That" is a catchy tune that is certainly single-worthy and very danceable, but its Salt-N-Pepa-like beat is atypical of every other song on the album and seems out of place.
I'm still not sure what to make of the pink leopard print on the CD, but I'm very glad it did not deter me from giving this album a proper listen. Better than Blood should take off, propelling McCauley out of the stratosphere, and she will be a performer to watch for years to come. - Type 3 Media
Singer/songwriter McCauley has the perfect voice to match her penchant for bombastic pop/rock. On softer tracks, her whisper can sound husky and eerie, or fragile and little-girl-lost. When she rocks out, she can screech and wail with the best of them, sounding a bit like an alternate-universe Ani DiFranco who’s a Top 40 star. The fun of the disc is not in breaking new ground, but in how well McCauley executes every stripe of heavy duty power pop, from the big emotions of "Reverie" to the big sneer of "Fragile" to the big ... well, it’s all big, basically, especially the omnipresent squalls of guitars that go to 11. It’s pretty big fun too, especially the sleek, aggressive vixen act of "Tap That," with McCauley declaiming her own irresistibility with tongue-in-cheek bravado.
- Bay Meadows
Discography
Singles - Tap That, Porcelain Doll, Die For You.
Movie Soundtracks - Fantastic Four , Elektra
Ep Released in 2005
LP Released in 2007 "Better Then Blood"
Photos
Bio
It was growing up in Cleveland, and going to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame that did it for Megan. After going to the Rock Hall the first time I walked out with the feeling of enlightenment. After seeing Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, LedBelly, and many of the better known artists such as Janis Joplin and David Bowie, I knew I wanted to be an artist. To change the world the way they did. Through all of their music, they told stories that were captivating and beautiful. No sooner could Big Mama Thorton move from one note to the next, and I'd felt like she'd sung my life. Telling it the way it is with no apologies... Thats what I wanted to do! Sharpening the tart edge of her tongue had always come naturally to Megan McCauley.
McCauley, much like her idols, offers no apologies. This brunette siren with tattoos and piercings is anything but conventional. The Ohio native is convincingly brash and impressively iron-willed. Megan is wildly undisguised simply because she refuses to be any other way. "Life is too short to sugar-coat everything! If I only get one chance to make my mark and leave an impression, it certainly won't be sweet and charming! My initials may be M&M, but I'm more like an Altoid... curiously strong!"
It's not misplaced aggression from being a teenager nor is it false mourning sought from her favorite artists. It's not even about challenging the status quo. "No matter what, or who you are, not everyone is gonna like you, and quite frankly it is a waste of my time to pay any attention to people who don't get it, or at least respect me for being myself. I am who I am, and no matter what happens, I will always be Megan, the girl who wakes up in the morning, makes a big cup of instant coffee, throws on a Rasputina album, and calls her mother just to talk " Megan refuses to escape simplicity for the sake of being herself. Being who she is, is enough. " I once heard a quote that I loved. It said 'It's okay to make it simple, just don't make it ordinary!' After-all, I find most of the best songs are written with nothing more than 3 chords and the truth!"
Megan looked beyond her exterior mold and saw someone with three sides: the dark-minded, corset-wearing creature fond of Halloween, a snide punk kid who loves to mess with the system, and the glam freak who's completely out of the picture, only because she's always one step ahead. Writing songs is the one thing that connects all of these things together.
Even with her forays into musicianship, songwriting is Megan's gift. I can't read music or handle anything overly technical says Megan. All of it confuses me, however when I do get into a studio, I know what I want. As the lyrics come to me, there is always a melody that carries them onto the page. Every line of every song has to tell a story and have meaning to me.
Megan's been singing all of her life, but learning how to play instruments is another story. She credits some of her favorite artists most notably Damien Rice and Rasputina frontwoman Melora Creager. In my downtime, I play a lot of instruments, including piano, harmonica, bass, guitar, flute, and a few others. I can do some minor guitar licks, but nothing really outstanding,she says. But when I pick something up, I immediately get obsessive about it. I bought a used cello for $400 and taught myself how to play by ear. I'm actually pretty good it. As soon as it happened, I thought this is my instrument. But even with that being said, if you stop me in the middle of my cello solo in 'See Through' and ask me which note I'm playing, I wouldn't be able to tell you. All I know is that it sounds and feels right!
The glorious guitar downpour that carries Wonder, is merely a glimpse into this personal space. Megan's honesty is so stripped, the raw power of her lyrics is so right there, you cannot help but reach for it. You'd never know she was 14 when she wrote this song, for it breathes hard much like an adult who's weathered too many storms.
Nothing would prepare Megan for the violent shock that would lead to the autobiographical "I'll Pay You To Shoot Him". At a young age, Megan's father had separated from the family, only to return years later when she was 14. Two years after his return, in August a week before her sweet 16 she was witness to a domestic dispute between her parents in which her mother was brutally attacked, and as the altercation turned physical, she tried to step in and suffered a few scrapes and bruises at her fathers hand as well. With adrenalin flowing from witnessing the acts of violence and becoming victim to them herself, she turned to the police officers on the scene and yelled to them, "I'll pay you to shoot him!" The comment later became the basis of the song with the same name and passionately displays her inability to hold back.
She explains, In writing the song, I am not looking for sympathy, and this is not a tale of devastation or loss. It is a punch back, a lunge against intimidation and raw
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