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.
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!
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..
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.
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"
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