Damiera - M(US)IC

[Tony Pascarella]

Damiera - M(US)IC
Release Date: May 16, 2006
Record Label: Tamerlane Recordings

Rarely one finds music both amorphous and transcendental enough to reach the depths of his psyche and excise thoughts and fears that seamlessly meld with the sounds he hears. Rather than relying on the lyrics to evoke an often-contrived happiness, sadness, or other mood, Damiera’s music itself latches onto your deepest thoughts and allows you to mold your own perceptions of both reality and the album. Some days, songs may have one effect on the listener, and on others, they arouse a completely different beast from within. Such is the comprehensive emotional effect of Damiera’s first full-length album, M(US)IC. Music critics and casual listeners alike may argue this is the elitist, progressive, or indie fan’s album of 2006, and they wouldn’t be wrong once the word gets out about this CD. Damiera reach out to every listener in a different way, and as a result, have produced a thoroughly enjoyable CD for fans of all music.

M(US)IC features riffs that most bands only dream of writing some day. It makes magnificent use of David Raymond’s half-falsetto, half-grating wail vocal quality that lingers somewhere between Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Brazil, and The Flaming Lips. Just like those bands, you will love or hate the vocals on this album upon first listen; there is no getting around it. M(US)IC can also be taken strictly at face value, but I think it would do the Buffalo-area band a huge injustice. A hard-charging, technical album that doesn’t quit until the very end is something that we generally find in the hardcore scene, but Damiera manage to, with songs like “Departure,” show they’re as instrumentally talented as they come—no matter the genre.

“Obsessions,” the tenth and final track, is possibly my favorite song on an album that has a tight race for best song. David Raymond’s voice is a bit more accessible here, and the music’s ebb and flow gives off an exhilarating emotion best epitomized by the thoughtful lyricism. Nevertheless, it is the youthful exuberance of “Via Invested” that might appeal to a more mainstream audience looking for something different. Rather than spoiling individual songs, I will instead recommend if this review has intrigued you at all to drop the ten bucks on M(US)IC in early May and prepare to be blown away. Damiera have planted the seeds for a musical revolution with this fantastic debut album, and I for one cannot wait until they become the next big thing.

Buy M(US)IC on iTunes (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=PjIvm57kicI&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos. apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStor e.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%25 3D212136003%2526id%253D212135828%25 26s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30 )

01. Immure
02. Lessons
03. M(US)IC
04. Via Invested
05. I Am Pulse
06. Ember Eason
07. Departure
08. Flora: Yield
09. Broken Hands
10. Obsessions

[Save my day]

I thoroughly enjoyed this review, I might contemplait picking this up now.

[Mitch]

I want to hear this now! I love the Myspace songs.

[meeotch]

i had no interest in this album but after reading this ive changed my mind!

great review

[Rohan Kohli]

Excellent review... this CD kicks ass.

[overdub]

great review! this is definitely going to be an album worth picking up.

[StriketheMartyr]

damiera is insanely talented in every aspect of their music, and this album is going to blow everyone away. Tamerlane is really going places, as long as they keep putting out music like...well, M(US)IC. BUY IT!

[onautolux]

First sentence way too over my head. Stop it.

[eviper15]

pick it up, incredible band

[tragedyco]

wow, i thinkt hat rating may be a little high, but i'm excited to hear it.

[MrBaileySays]

Very well written!!

Can you write my Eulogy?

[GoWaitInTheCar]

Previous stuff from this band I thought was real bad. But numbers like that I can't argue with. I may check this out because of that solid fact. I just hope they are correct..

[Beloved Broken]

Fans of what bands might find this album worthy? 'Cause the review certainly paints a promising picture...

[Tony Pascarella]

Previous stuff from this band I thought was real bad. But numbers like that I can't argue with. I may check this out because of that solid fact. I just hope they are correct..Like I said in the review, it sounds a bit like Brazil and the vocals are an acquired taste. If you don't like the vocals, you probably won't like the band. However, if you like the vocals, you'll love the CD as a whole.

At least in my opinion.

And it's great to hear from all the people who said they'll check M(US)IC out based on this review. Tamerlane isn't a big label, but if they keep signing bands like these, they might become a strong independent player in the future.

[AQotgg]

hey all,
great to see these guys getting props. it's evident upon first read that the reviewer gets it.

there arem, however, two things i'd like to point out.
a) this band sounds absolutely nothing like brazil. dave sings with far more power, range and command than the brazil dude. in general damiera takes a more progressive approach (and make for a much more engaging listen) than bands like brazil, coheed, etc...

b) dude is a tenor. i'm awfully tired of seeing the word falsetto thrown around for men who sing high. something sung in falsetto is something sung out of your normal range, and the typical singer will sound like a girl when doing that. there are the uncommon performers who have command over their falsetto (i.e justin hawkins, the guy from 3 inches of blood) who'll use it to their advantage, but yeah, point being, high range does not equal falsetto.


aaanyways, listen to some tracks they have on their purevolume page and hear for yourself.
http://purevolume.com/damiera
my personal favorites from that selection = "via invested", "m(us)ic", and "heartbeat"

[Rocker]

Tamerlane is also giving away an Ipod if you pre-order the CD.

[Tony Pascarella]

They sound like Brazil instrumentally and more like CYHSY/Flaming Lips vocally. But it's tough to peg Damiera because unlike a lot of bands, you can't say "They sound like direct descendants of..."

[OneFellSwoop]

Haha great review but I can't help but think that you tried way to hard to sound as intelligent as possible on that first sentence.

[Tony Pascarella]

Haha great review but I can't help but think that you tried way to hard to sound as intelligent as possible on that first sentence.Haha, that'd be a first actually. Me sounding intelligent :)

[phunkspace]

They sound like Brazil instrumentally and more like CYHSY/Flaming Lips vocally. But it's tough to peg Damiera because unlike a lot of bands, you can't say "They sound like direct descendants of..."

They're playing a show for me coming up, and for awhile I was advertising them as "Mock Orange, but with balls," but that doesn't even really work. Damiera sounds more like a better-trained Mike Kinsella being gangfucked by King Crimson. But not regular sex (heavens, no)...confusingly direct and forceful sex. The kind you're embarrassed to tell people about afterwards; the kind of sex that causes you to become suddenly uncomfortable not only with your involvement, but with the boundaries you've set for yourself as a person- disgusted at the course of your life up to that point. The kind of sex that, when you finally watch it taking place right in front of you, you get hard even though you know that you shouldn't be getting hard, because you're "not like that," this isn't "what you like," you aren't "one of those." But the build is infectious. You can't close your eyes or ears. Frequent changes in the dynamics of the spectacle hint at what you think maybe might just possibly be some kind of impending explosion, or, if they stretch too far past what we recognize as the fundamental scalor limits of Western Music, an utter collapse. Then suddenly the outro mathdown of "Via Invested" hits you...you start seizing, and you and everyone else in the room proceed to blow your respective loads. The music has become a twisted part of you, it is disgusting and foreign and you can't tear it away; but you don't even want to anymore. You don't care. It is inside you...you are absolutely fucked on Damiera and you can't stand to think about anything else.

Best album of 2006.

[theOCEANFLOOR]

musicians: you will be blown away by this album. i'm dead serious.

[AQotgg]

They're playing a show for me coming up, and for awhile I was advertising them as "Mock Orange, but with balls," but that doesn't even really work. Damiera sounds more like a better-trained Mike Kinsella being gangfucked by King Crimson. But not regular sex (heavens, no)...confusingly direct and forceful sex. The kind you're embarrassed to tell people about afterwards; the kind of sex that causes you to become suddenly uncomfortable not only with your involvement, but with the boundaries you've set for yourself as a person- disgusted at the course of your life up to that point. The kind of sex that, when you finally watch it taking place right in front of you, you get hard even though you know that you shouldn't be getting hard, because you're "not like that," this isn't "what you like," you aren't "one of those." But the build is infectious. You can't close your eyes or ears. Frequent changes in the dynamics of the spectacle hint at what you think maybe might just possibly be some kind of impending explosion, or, if they stretch too far past what we recognize as the fundamental scalor limits of Western Music, an utter collapse. Then suddenly the outro mathdown of "Via Invested" hits you...you start seizing, and you and everyone else in the room proceed to blow your respective loads. The music has become a twisted part of you, it is disgusting and foreign and you can't tear it away; but you don't even want to anymore. You don't care. It is inside you...you are absolutely fucked on Damiera and you can't stand to think about anything else.

Best album of 2006.

Repped.

[sellingyouout]

i think alot of there older stuff is better then there new. But Music isnt a bad track but im still in favor of there faster paced tracks like "Slow by Still" and "Super Dag". the names are completely different on my itunes compared to purevolume/myspace.
live there defently worth seeing ive seen them 3 times since i heard about them last summer.

[xxxcrowanxxx]

Wow after hearing Damiera streaming I think they are highly amazing....Everything that a band should be now a days
http://images.absolutepunk.net/images/buttons/mini_menu2.gif

[Shaved Goat]

I just saw them live, and they were incredibly incredible. shiiieeeetB-)

[BrendanH16]

I happen to know these guys and my band has played two shows with them. This is probably one of the hardest working bands I have ever seen. These guys tour 11 months out of the year and have earned every little thing they have gotten. Its no wonder they were signed to Equal Vision. I asked Dave after the first time i heard them "How do you write music like that because i can't even think about all the chord changes and stuff." He replied with "Lots of Sugar" and really thats the perfect discription of their music. The problem with a lot of progressive rock is that they only focus on being as technical as possible without having songs. Damiera really has that ability to write songs with technical sugar coating. If you like this CD i would recommend you see them live it blows the CD out of the water and M(US)IC is one of my favorite CD's. Watching Rock play guitar is probably one of the most entertaining things in the world to me, because he goes absolutely insane.

anyway thats my two cents,

brendan

[BrendanH16]

They're playing a show for me coming up, and for awhile I was advertising them as "Mock Orange, but with balls," but that doesn't even really work. Damiera sounds more like a better-trained Mike Kinsella being gangfucked by King Crimson. But not regular sex (heavens, no)...confusingly direct and forceful sex. The kind you're embarrassed to tell people about afterwards; the kind of sex that causes you to become suddenly uncomfortable not only with your involvement, but with the boundaries you've set for yourself as a person- disgusted at the course of your life up to that point. The kind of sex that, when you finally watch it taking place right in front of you, you get hard even though you know that you shouldn't be getting hard, because you're "not like that," this isn't "what you like," you aren't "one of those." But the build is infectious. You can't close your eyes or ears. Frequent changes in the dynamics of the spectacle hint at what you think maybe might just possibly be some kind of impending explosion, or, if they stretch too far past what we recognize as the fundamental scalor limits of Western Music, an utter collapse. Then suddenly the outro mathdown of "Via Invested" hits you...you start seizing, and you and everyone else in the room proceed to blow your respective loads. The music has become a twisted part of you, it is disgusting and foreign and you can't tear it away; but you don't even want to anymore. You don't care. It is inside you...you are absolutely fucked on Damiera and you can't stand to think about anything else.

Best album of 2006.

Spencer that is probably one of the funniest things ive ever read

[EmoScreamo]

I think they are talented guys but each song sounds the same. There's no distinction between the songs. Immure, M(us)ic, I Am Pulse sounds very similar to each in the dynamics and the way the singer sings. I can't sit through the whole record in one sitting. And I think that's hard for a lot of prog rock bands. They get too technical for there own good. Because they end up following the same routine. Jazzy time signatures for drums and guitars, and funky guitar leads. Range and creativity should go hand in hand, and in this case Damiera does not do that.

[AEast317]

woot woot EVR

[Dan CiTi]

Great great album.

[Dan CiTi]

They're playing a show for me coming up, and for awhile I was advertising them as "Mock Orange, but with balls," but that doesn't even really work. Damiera sounds more like a better-trained Mike Kinsella being gangfucked by King Crimson. But not regular sex (heavens, no)...confusingly direct and forceful sex. The kind you're embarrassed to tell people about afterwards; the kind of sex that causes you to become suddenly uncomfortable not only with your involvement, but with the boundaries you've set for yourself as a person- disgusted at the course of your life up to that point. The kind of sex that, when you finally watch it taking place right in front of you, you get hard even though you know that you shouldn't be getting hard, because you're "not like that," this isn't "what you like," you aren't "one of those." But the build is infectious. You can't close your eyes or ears. Frequent changes in the dynamics of the spectacle hint at what you think maybe might just possibly be some kind of impending explosion, or, if they stretch too far past what we recognize as the fundamental scalor limits of Western Music, an utter collapse. Then suddenly the outro mathdown of "Via Invested" hits you...you start seizing, and you and everyone else in the room proceed to blow your respective loads. The music has become a twisted part of you, it is disgusting and foreign and you can't tear it away; but you don't even want to anymore. You don't care. It is inside you...you are absolutely fucked on Damiera and you can't stand to think about anything else.

Best album of 2006.
Duuuude.

[guitarhead913]

i bought this cd, wasn't really into it, but as of about one week ago, i cant stop listening to it

[OKComputer1016]

dude, one, this cd does totally rule! and two, that was written really well, your opening sentence was almost a Smashing Pumpkins lyric. basically if your review has the potential to be reviewed, then you yourself are an artist. :-D

[Burn That Shit]

Got this gem from my sister for christmas, awesome album.

[flyingtoaster99]

this album is so tight

[batmannj]

I am listening to this now and I am really enjoying it.