Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Brea Fournier and the Dream Ballet
Written by Esosa Zuwa
NYC-based quartet Brea Fournier & The Dream Ballet released their debut rock opera album Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The genre-fluid, rock opera tells the story of the titular main character ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’, named after the infamous, male-gaze trope, who fights to prove herself to her audience, on a coming-of-age journey in self-discovery. With seventeen tracks under their belt, the band’s music becomes a burst of colours, an exploration of rock that combines literal, but meaningful lyricism accompanied by a rich sonic tapestry of rock opera.
“Avant-Garde & Totally Unique”, a softer rock song that sets the stage for this album, sounding like the theme song for a coming-of-age movie. It’s not the most experimental track of the album, but it serves its purpose as a prequel to the story, perhaps showing a typical view of the main character. “I can't help but feel like dying/When I’m told who I should be/If you know who I am you’re lying/I’m avant-garde and unique,” she sings, as the lyrics morph into a repetitive demand from the character, that seeks being seen as unique. The literal lyricism crafted to feel almost self-aware makes known the desire of ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ of the hyper-individualism acquired. She tries to convince herself and others of her uniqueness, such as breaking out of traditional molds superficially but later ends up following them.
The chiller rock-balled “8th Street” slowly affirms itself in the mind of the Manic Pixie Dream girl, as the album continues. It has the bittersweet feeling of ignoring a past lover, not to fight or shy away, but to embrace ignorance, ebbs and flows with melancholic passion, and feels like holding one's breath, then letting it go slowly but surely. The song lets us slowly feel the rejection of the perceived ownership this lover once had of Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
On the same string of letting go of someone from the past, we have “Not My Soulmate”, which picks up the energy with its genre invocation of country and bluegrass, making you feel you’ve gone south, just as this relationship has. It feels like walking through an old Western town, as the country sound creates a looping sense of longing, and maybe frustration. “Maybe I’m loving too hard from this world/But it’s more than you’ll ever love a girl/You’re not my soulmate/Maybe yesterday I thought we were endgame,” Manic Pixie Dream girls says, in a tone of resignation, but one that could also be exciting. It’s a bolder declaration of accepting the fact that liking someone isn’t enough to consider them a soulmate.
“Petty Stuff” is a dramatic shift from the country-inspired “Not My Soulmate”. Manic Pixie Dream Girl wholeheartedly embraces itself within a 2000s-style punk rock song, with a lyrical cadence found in musicals. It’s a chaotic, but organized sound, almost telling the listener “I’m petty, so deal with it!” “Petty Stuff” breaks down in a heavy drum solo that builds up to something great, before going into three key changes that symbolize a sense of freedom and blissful chaos. It’s a strange acceptance of Manic Pixie Girl, embracing pettiness if being “petty” can be defined as not putting up with unrealistic standards, which is a label others have put on her. “Petty Stuff” is a strange acceptance, but also maybe a bit of anger realized from the release of those standards.
The release of anger and realization of something greater brings us to the central title track of Manic Pixie Dream Girl, named after herself. “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”, is a pop-rock ballad that sounds like the prerequisite to the end credits of a coming-of-age film. It’s dreamy but melancholy like it’s on the edge of something infinite. It’s like the sunset of this album, shining brightly, before settling down again so it can shine more. “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” is the point where she becomes self-aware, but isn’t quite at the pinnacle of her journey yet. She embraces freedom from the label, wanting to live as her own person, away from the fantasies the other person has projected onto her.
If “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” is the mid-point, then “Nine of Swords” is the sweet emotional reprise, but not until it becomes a dagger in their suit of swords, now intense and almost anthemic. The drum-heavy track is an acceptance of long-held pain as Manic Pixie Dream Girl tries to make sense of her emotions. The huge choral rendition at the end of the song feels like an ascension, like something divine pulling her away from her pain, which the card is drawn, telling them their paranoia is a bore, and allows her not to be afraid of knowing her own fate.
Named after the band “Dream Ballet” is the climax. It’s a guitar-heavy, western-inspired, 70s folk-inspired, soft rock sound, likening itself to Fleetwood Mac. “If I could be somewhere flying/If I could be lifted high/I would never let that cheering die/I would never leave this fever dream ballet”, the lyrics say, making you feel dreamy and mystical. It feels like you’ve entered into an intergalactic space bar, making you feel you can be, feel, and do anything. “Dream Ballet” doesn’t rage at you, but somehow grounds itself into the unknown. Manic Pixie Dream Girl somehow reminisces on the future feeling of being elevated, in a blissful state of freedom they don’t want to leave.
“Guts” is a slow song, a finale, and a declaration of “I’m my mind and not my body.” It’s a slow guitar song, and is simple, but has passionate vocals that break through with a harmonic choir at the end. It’s about Manic Pixie Dream Girl accepting themselves for who she is, regardless of what others say about her, and separating her, her true emotional soul, and mind from their body that serves as the external model for herself, which other people judge her on. It’s a song of resignation and one of acceptance that ends the album, and reclaims this phase of life, while also rejecting the bad parts of it. It’s a song of ending.
If you haven’t listened to Manic Pixie Dream Girl, prepare to put on your headphones and live the story out. It’s a colourful, funny, emotional, and relatable album about discovering who you truly are. “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” is crafted so that the listener can immerse themselves and perceive themselves in the story of Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who’s crafted through the lens of a rock opera but is ultimately someone human like them.
