Customer Reviews

M (Us) Ic

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Damiera has really impressed me with their release of M(Us)Ic, comprising confidence and brilliance without compromising their talent. This is not a typical Equal Vision quartet which usually includes the more artsy rock, usually eliminating the roughness and quality of sound. The important thing is that Damiera certainly does not disappoint with their debut full-length.

The guitars alone are worth mentioning. A risky fusion of trascenedent riffs, daring to reach outside and pull within. They took indie rock, a tad bit of ambience just enough to insinuate their touch, to mix with progressive rock which the name precedes itself; the World may not be ready for what they are about to listen to.

The album hits hard right off the bat with the first track "Immure", probably the catchiest song on the CD, the chorus hitting at full strength with anthem-worthy lyrics "Finally let's distinguish when connection falls away". This song definitely is a perfect lead-off track for an album like this; making the listener feel welcome and certainly intrigued. The single of the album, the fourth track, "Via Invested" (which they made an interesting video for) starts off in clean but sure doesn't hesitate to break out into their usual ear-attracting style of play. Another notable track of this album is number five "I am Pulse", probably a personal favorite of mine, but it's very difficult to have a stand-out track on this cd; they're all very well produced.

Surely Damiera does not disappoint; probably because not many expected such a remarkable release. The album is deep and insightful dipping its hand into the jar of reality. Insightful and fearless, draining the force out of previous releases that don't hold nearly as much edge as these guys have. This won't be the last you heard of the Buffalonean quartet, hopefully.

The kind of guitar driven rock that Damiera plays may not be uncommon in today's time, but the Equal Vision quartet have sure made an impression on the music scene with this magnificent offering.

"M(US)IC" (meant to be read "us" in the music) is a stirring mix of guitar interplay, melodic vocals, atmospheric dabblings and introspective lyrics. Dave Raymond and Rock Whittington's excellent relationship on the guitar end is showcased all over the disc, mostly on tracks like the opener "Immure" and the rocking "Flora Yield." Since there is not very much of a distinction between which exactly is the rhythm guitar and which is the lead, it's sometimes hard to imagine Dave singing and playing this at the same time. But it doesn't stop there. The often progressive nature of most songs gives a feeling of new exciting endeavors throughout the entire listen, and even makes for the occasional "wow" moment. "I Am Pulse" and "Broken Hands" are perhaps the record's two best tracks. The rhythm section of the band (comprised of Mark Henry and Brad McRae) is something which is also of the utmost importance to the band's sound, since the music strays far away from that of traditional three-chord rock music. The listener will be treated to bass lines and drum patterns that sound as if they were written to accent the mood and nature of the music, rather than simply keep up the rhythm of the given song. If the band were comfortable throwing around the term "virtuoso," more than a few people would be willing to give them the tag.

The only problem with the album overall is its scarce length. Barely reaching the 32 minute mark, "M(US)IC" will never seem complete. Only 9 full songs and 1 interlude just isn't enough when the music is this good. The band could have greatly benefited from adding another instrumental or perhaps even re-recording a few songs from their self-titled EP which was released last year (and ultimately led to their signing with Equal Vision). Still the brevity of the disc keeps the album from feeling like it slows down or gets boring in places, and it's hardly enough to take the album down to any extremely lesser level. It also helps that every single song is a keeper.

For a debut album, this is most impressive. Fans of guitar driven bands along the lines of Circa Survive, As Tall As Lions, Minus The Bear or maybe even Hot Cross will find that Damiera are one of the artists destined to break out in 2007, should they get the radio and airplay they deserve. Not many band's are releasing this technical and impressive of a debut these days.

This is perhaps one of the most technically challenging albums to come out in a long time. For me it was akin to the feeling of excitement that came over me after hearing Circa Survive's Juturna for the first time. There's really no other sound to compare to this emotionally rousing roller-coaster of talented sound. The musicians and vocalist are all top-notch and this band flows together without a hitch. I would definitely recommend this to fans of Circa Survive or Karate, although there are definitely differences between their sounds. Damiera leaves atmospherics and overproduction at the door, while providing a more performance-ready feel to their songs. There's also some dashes of jazz and fusion in some areas. There isn't a bad song on this album. An AMAZING find for a fan of talented, emotive, technical rock.

Damiera at its best. seriously the time signatures?! trully and amazing band. This cd is one of my favorites of all time because of the talent and guitar/bass/drum work. i SERIOUSLY recommend it

From the beginning seconds of M(US)IC, the debut album from Buffalo's Damiera, it's clear that this is a band who likes playing at full throttle. Dual guitars ceaselessly interweave meandering angular melodies and beautifully discordant chord stabs, while a distorted bass throbs and crawls between sporadic drum hits, everything somehow melding together into this math-y marriage of noise. It's a fusion of four integral parts, interlocking so precisely that they're almost indistinguishable from each other, each contributing equally to the final result. The band careens along at a breakneck pace throughout this collection of ten songs, each track ending as abruptly as it starts, until the album is over and you realize you haven`t exhaled in 31 minutes.

For someone like me, Damiera embodies a perfect balance of all my many musical tastes. The kid who listened to all that punk in high school revels in their constant energy, relentlessly pushing each song to the finish with the requisite number of shout-along choruses and bouncy yelps. The college prog nerd giddily closes his eyes while he tries to count along with the aid of a calculator as time signatures seamlessly shift and melt in and out of each other. And the self-assured certified music snob, so confident in the infallibility of his own preferences, charts out the whole thing to make sure all the right compositional elements are there. This is music with an immediate vitality, achieving a huge impact on first listen, but still rewarding repeat listens with a generous amount of hidden subtleties.

The band's sound is like theoretical better versions of all the bands you might cite as influences. If Fall Of Troy learned to play to a metronome, or if Minus The Bear practiced their instruments for six hours a day, or if Further Seems Forever ditched emo and surrendered to their prog tendencies, it might come close to what Damiera are about. Undeniably confident, M(US)IC is a remarkably mature debut album, sounding more like the product of decades of careful perfection than a rookie band finding its sea legs on a rickety raft. While it's true that the band cranks it to 11 for the vast majority of the album, they're also clever enough to make the rare tranquil interludes really count, not to mention wise enough to cut the last song off before you have time to feel like you've been bombarded by such an onslaught.

If there is a weak element on this album, it's definitely the vocals, which can't help but be overshadowed by the robotic precision of the rest of the instruments. Dave Raymond sounds great when he's half-singing, half-shouting at the top of his range, but as soon as he pulls back, the conviction leaves and he sounds vulnerable and limp against such flawlessly performed music. Luckily these instances are rare and they're more than made up for by the transcendent moments like the chorus of "Immure," in which Raymond perfectly belts out every single word over a jerky fist-pumping 5/4 groove.

Assuming the world is ready for Damiera, there should be no limit to what they can accomplish with this album. Though their dynamic range is perhaps a little limited, the diverse elements that make up their trademark sound should appeal to fans of indie, punk, prog, math rock, and everywhere in between. When the chunky "Obsessions" eventually stutters to its final cadence, you'll probably want to either take the time to reflect on the experience, or you'll start it over from the beginning. I usually find myself among the latter. I've been waiting for a band with this level of technical proficiency to manage a sound that is actually accessible from start to finish, and having finally found them, M(US)IC won't be leaving my CD player for awhile.