Let Your Body Speak
Damiera lets actions speak louder than words on their adventurous new album.
Damiera
Quiet Mouth Loud Hands
Released on Jun 24, 2008
Once at the forefront of progressive punk music, Damiera's latest creation explores an experimental prospective. There were bound to be differences after three of the four original members parted ways in early 2007, leaving only vocalist and guitarist David Raymond to mend the wounds and continue on. Quiet Moth Loud Hands shows that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. Damiera fans were undoubtedly upset at the band's short hiatus and member swapping in 2007, but with the new all-star lineup of Damiera there was really nothing to worry about. Jayson Dezuzio, Damiera's replacement bassist, helped produce the band's previous album, M(US)IC.
The album's title track strays from their formulaic mold of music making. With a verse somewhat reminiscent of an Alien Ant Farm song, the track switches back to a charged chorus infiltrated by Raymond's high pitched, fierce vocals. This drifts nicely into "Nailbiter", which seems like a more enlightened attempt at old ways.
"Teacher, Preacher", brings out a new side of Damiera that I can't help but examine repeatedly. Starting with an electronic intro, the song quickly slips into a verse with an unmistakably Maroon 5 twist. What's better is that Damiera not only takes this and runs with the idea, but also completely dominates anything in Maroon 5's arsenal. Cropped by bursting choruses, this is an altogether great and interesting song. It even includes a phase of Michael Jackson-esque style near the end. It would seem that they didn't choose to stick with this new style however, as the following track, "Weights For The Waiting" tones things down and returns to their sound of the past.
With vocals as strong as Raymond's I thought it was a bit strange that this new album would feature an entirely instrumental song, but "Woodbox" does just that. While not the most exciting instrumental piece, it does possess several interesting guitar movements, but was not needed on the whole. "Silvertongue" is laced with the same double lead guitars and dramatic wails that brought Damiera to the limelight in years past. The vocals on this one are especially sharp and quick in comparison to the album as a whole.
Quiet Mouth Loud Hands wraps things up with "Trading Grins". This track, while slow paced, which is not something Damiera is traditionally known for, brings a lot to the table. It sounds as though it could be something produced by a famous pop producer destined for the MTV airways, yet they keep things subtle and don't experiment too much. While this may not have been what typical fans of the band had in mind, after a listen or two, this album shines through for what it really is; a good rock album.
High Point
"Teacher, Preacher," may be the most unexpected track on the album, but this track screams for attention, it's just too interesting to leave alone.
Low Point
There was really no reason to leave us with "Woodbox."
Posted by Andrew Scott on Jun 27, 2008 @ 8:05 am