The Short of It
After using Indie alt-rock and then metal in the first two albums, SASAMI’s Blood on the Silver Screen is a bold attempt to find her version of pop rock to explore and capture themes of love and obsession. Emulating the likes of Lady Gaga, 90s’ Madonna, Sia, and Miley Cyrus, SASAMI cleverly crafts a collection of deeply personal and irresistibly catchy songs.
My Thoughts
Although changing music style between albums is not a new concept—think Beyonce and her Grammy-winning album Cowboy Carter—SASAMI may have taken it to an extreme level. With over a million monthly listeners on Spotify, she challenges her fans by presenting Blood on the Silver Screen, an up-tempo pop album. Not only did she change her musical course, she exited the old vehicles entirely and left them along the side of the road.
To explore the possible reasons why Sasami produced an album her fans probably did not see coming, I am going to use Miles Davis quotes (my favorite example of a musician who continually changed and never looked back) to look at three possible elements that have led to her alternating styles: education, music, and self.
Sasami’s Education
“Knowledge is freedom, and ignorance is slavery.” Miles Davis
Sasami attended Los Angeles County High School for the Art and the Eastman School of Music, part of the University of Rochester. However, being a brilliant and studied musician can be a blessing and a curse. Her educational background gives her mental access to enormous amounts of musical knowledge and a vast mindscape of theoretical opportunities. Yet, it can also create walls built from stigma. Sasami says, “I’ve always felt this pressure or need to make something that’s mysterious or innovative.”
The Music
“Good music is good no matter what kind of music it is.” Miles Davis
Pop music was not part of Sasami’s life. She says, “I didn’t feel like pop music spoke to me.” So, the choice to musically go where the classically-trained musician, now in her early 30s, has never been should be seen as an opportunity to face her vulnerabilities. In Blood on the Silver Screen, SASAMI embraces pop music, a style often overlooked by serious artists. She says, “I wanted to, in my tenderness and emotionality, have the bravery to undertake something as epic as making a pop record about love.” Opening herself to the style, she realizes the greatness within it.
Her Self
“You have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.” Miles Davis.
Sasami was raised in the Unification Church, which has been described as a predatory cult. She says, “My relationship to love and sex was so tied into these repressive, super restrictive definitions.” However, she now identifies as queer.
Because of the potentially elitist attitude of universities and their exclusive views, Sasami’s musical training theoretically could have run parallel to her religious upbringing. After breaking away from the church’s skewed relationship and sexual beliefs, it was only natural for her to break from her classical training in music. Blood on the Silver Screen is a reflective look at her journey. It represents her finding herself as “part of a generation unbeholden to conventions around love, sex, or the nuclear family.”
It is also just her third album. She has used different styles to explore different feelings and not gone back. Change is the only consistency. Therefore, her fans do not have a standard of comparison. Maybe pop will be her thing, but somehow, I doubt it. I believe we will see many more styles before SASAMI settles into herself.
Final Thought: This review does not delve into the album’s sound. However, I am okay with that. Other writers will have plenty to critique. I say, “Listen to the album. It is catchy pop. But, realize there is much more to it. I think she is a genius.”
Favorite Songs: “I’ll Be Gone,” “Possessed,” and “Lose It All”
Rating - 5/5 (for all her genius)
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