Customer Reviews

Demure

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Engine Down are a sort of indie rock anomaly. The band started off sounding quite different than their current sound, rising out of the ashes of Virginia's highly underappreciated Sleepytime Trio. Their early style was one that passerby would consider "screamo" - that is, the band was screamy and emotional. The vocals were akin to Florida's I Hate Myself and Twelve Hour Turn, among others, but the music, while spazzy at times, definitely allowed listeners to catch a glimpse into the band's future. While most bands of this style seemed to more or less just tell their bassist and drummer to play as fast and chaotic as possible, Engine Down's rhythms pulsated with the flow of the song, never getting too ahead of itself. Frontman Keeley Davis even let his vocals come out normally on a few early songs, though on most songs he was relegated to screaming duty.

So the band put out one 7" and their debut full length, "Under The Pretense of Present Tense," and life seemed good. They were getting a ton of buzz from the hipper-than-thou crew in everyone's scene, it seemed. But the band wasn't content with their sound. So the evolution began with their second LP, "To Bury Within The Sound." Their new sound was one more rhythmically dense, and Keeley finally dropped the screaming act altogether, as his voice soared over the beautifully layered instruments beneath him. For the second album in a row, though, the music suffered at the recording itself. The bass seemed completely lost on this album, and, while the vocals were cleaner than on the first album, they still needed work.

So this brings us to "Demure," Engine Down's latest effort. Right from the start the album cures the recording problem - everything on here sounds crisp, clear, and as defined as ever. The music has become more subdued, but at the same time it has taken on a new life. At times the drums and bass sound almost tribal, and you can't help but get caught up in the pulsating rhythms of songs like "Pantomime" and "Second Of February." Davis' vocals have matured significantly, as evident on tracks like "Detour" and the pounding "Taken In." The penultimate track, "Closed Call," is a beautiful ballad featuring Keeley dueting with his sister Maura. The track could have been on Denali's CD, as it has a very similar sound [Denali is Keeley's side project, Maura is the singer].

The press release for this says that "[T]he group's approach towards their third full-length is that of repetitious, droning guitars complemented by simplistic syncopation." As I first read that, it sounds almost like an insult to the music, but then I realize that the album *is* simple, so simple that you're deceived by it. You know that they're not playing anything hard on this album, and you know other post-hardcore bands who can keep up with this, but the more you listen, the more you're intrigued. The group takes the simplest sounds and turns them into 10 individual mini-opuses, each complete with ebbs and swells. This is talent at it's most basic and at it's most refined. This is the paradox that is Engine Down.

This album is great just like the prior two...want good music? Buy this album and the prior two. Extremely chill and melodic in a very simple sense. They don't do to much, they don't do to little...it's a perfect blend with the vocals coasting across the as if the music were a sheet of ice...

There's not a great deal that needs to be said 'bout "Demure" except that it's a great album. Coming across a lil' like Sunnyday Real Estate, it's not very heavy (in a distorted kinda way), but the song structure & dynamics are incredible. I'm surprised this band isn't a lot bigger, but then again, know-one ever said the nice guys were gonna finish first.

These guys are awesome their style is unlike anything I've heard. I can tell some influences but the guitar and vocals are some of the best yet. I don't skip any tracks... it's just awesome I really wish they came with Cursive in Utah but oh well. I truly think this is their best yet, they have matured so much espicially the vocals. Please Buy This CD It's Beautiful!

"There is a whole lot to like about 'Demure'", I think as I listen. "Keeley seems to have really come into his own as a vocalist (I never thought the 'Under the Pretense' - type screaming suited him), the guitar work here is compelling and top-notch, and Cornbread's complex-but-not-bombastic drumming is a fantastic complement to everyone else's playing." And then it hits me:
Where's the bass?!
Oh, wait, I hear some playing... Yes, it's there alright. But Mister Jason Wood must have really gotten Mister Producer angry, boys and girls, because you almost can't hear the bass in these tunes!
And that's the difference between 4 stars and 5 in my book. There are numerous places on this CD where the songs move along rather ploddingly, sometimes giving me the impression that they might need a little 'kick' to ensure the tempo holds up 'til the end of the music. That's when I really miss the bass part, which as we all know kids is one-half of the traditional rhythm section in rock parlance, with the rhythm section's primary job being to keep the song moving along.
This CD could have been really great; instead, lacking any authoritative-sounding bass work, it's merely very good.
I still like it, but I can dream, can't I? I mean, isn't Engine Down billed as a quartet-?

This album isn't as straight forward as much as TBWTS, there's nothing wrong with that! It's still top notch musicianship. The recording quality is the only aspect in which is not as good. His vocals sometimes don't sound mic'd properly, and all of the instruments sound muddy compared to "A sign of breath" which is an e.p. This version of "2nd Of February" doesn't sound as good on demure, once again a recording problem. But Engine Down's Demure is a MUST have for any ED fan. ... This is one of my favorite albums! DEMURE DOES NOT DISSAPOINT!

i wanted this album to be amazing, and it isn't. Engine Down is an amazing band, but this album just is not. The amazon review brings up a good point. but that still does not replace the fact that each song is boring and loses its flavor near the end. It sounds like Engine Down, which is a good thing, but the powerful explosions that made "To Bury.." so amazing are completely lost. each song slowly mumbles along and reaches a pleasant pinnacle, but drowns off into nothingness. these songs just aren't intriguing at all.

Demure by Engine Down is a record that seems soooo bored with itself. For music that people call "post hardcore", it seems performed in a limp-wristed fashion (unlike Cursive or At The Drive In). But if you like typical "indie rock" that is too in love with its angular haircuts to play sonically arresting music, this is for you.