Big Group Hug is Saso's second release and first full-length album. The title is somewhat of a mystery, since a big group hug is not the first thing to come to mind when listening to the music, which is chilly and dark, with only occasional bright spots and snippets of happiness. But I think the title ironically emphasizes the sense of isolation and loneliness that much of the music portrays.
Saso uses basic instruments on the album—guitar, bass, drums, and piano—to create songs that are often calm and subdued, but sometimes intense. The instruments are expressive and varied enough that the songs are a pleasure to listen to. Synthesizers, occasional strings, and samples add even more interest. One song I like in particular is "Dimwit," which demonstrates the lovely mix of traditional instruments and electronic noises on the album. "Dimwit" is a whimsical song, played with an acoustic guitar, an organ, and chimes. Fluttering and clacking sounds are blended perfectly with the guitar to create a feeling of motion and lightness.
The album begins with another of my favorites, the title track. This song is probably the most easily accessible on the album, and seems more upbeat than many others, but it has a sadness that is not far below the surface of the music and quite apparent in the lyrics. It features beautiful strummed electric guitars and a soft bass that float behind light drumming and vulnerable vocals and lyrics. It has a great interlude of simple picked guitars and harmonics on top of a steady keyboard tone.
This track slips right into the second, "Blood Bath," which is (obviously) more dark. The guitar is still vibrant and flowing, but now it has a sense of controlled panic, which samples of industrial sound and jumbled television add to. Speaking of samples, my only complaint about Saso's last release (Warmed Up EP) was a distracting sample of talking right in the middle of one of the songs. In "Blood Bath," Saso attempts the same sort of thing, but this time it works very well. This time, there's a clip from Seinfeld in which Kramer is insulting someone and the audience is laughing hysterically. In the context of the dark music, it's quite disturbing and adds so much to the overall feeling and effect of the song.
"Blood Bath" slips smoothly into the next track, which includes more of the mellifluous guitars. And many more pleasant songs follow, such as "Lazy Bones" and "All My Life" (which is also on the EP). Big Group
Hug, although a little sad and lonely, is a lovely album. The guitars and the way they mix with other elements of the music are especially appealing. I tend to like the instrumental songs the best. Although Saso's vocals are usually a good match to the music, they sometimes remind me of a generic alternative rock voice—you know, husky, tough, and manly. This happens mostly in "My Brain Hurts," in which I felt the vocals took away from the song quite a bit.
Saso's songs are expressive and varied in intensity, instruments, tempo, and style, but not too much—the songs work together very well as a whole, and the transitions between them are natural and smooth. Big Group Hug is a satisfying follow-up to Saso's delicate
Warmed Up EP.
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