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Damiera offers innovative take on indie rock

Buffalo, N.Y. indie rockers Damiera will bring their unique sound to The Alley in Fullerton on Friday.

What does Damiera mean? How do you even say the title of its new record? These questions may arise when first encountering Buffalo, N.Y., indie rock outfit Damiera, but its debut record “M(US)IC” (pronounced us in music) does answer the most important question surrounding the band: Is it good? The answer is a definite yes.

Damiera’s roots were planted in early 2005 when singer and guitarist Dave Raymond left his previous band in search for more creative freedom. Raymond sought to create a band that would be strong musically yet still have a sense of camaraderie. He brought guitarist Matthew Kipp from his earlier band along for the ride as well.

Orlando, Fla., native Brad McRae also left his previous band and took the 30-plus hour bus ride to Buffalo to join the band on drums. With this tentative line-up set, the band began writing material that it used to audition bassists. One self-produced EP and self-promoted tour later, Mark Henry joined the lineup on bass.

But as soon as the band had solidified the lineup, Kipp left the band, leaving a void at guitar. Hundreds of guitarists auditioned, with the band finally pulling New Orleans native Rock Whittington out of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to join the band.

With its lineup finally set, Damiera immediately locked itself into a rehearsal space in Buffalo and began writing. In what Raymond calls “one of the most intense experiences” of his life, Damiera created 10 surging tracks that would eventually become its dynamic debut album.

“M(US)IC” had an original pressing of 1,000 copies and was released through now-defunct label Tamerlane. Damiera hit the road with its debut record and sold every one of them on its own, catching the eye of Equal Vision Records along the way. “M(US)IC” was re-released by Equal Vision in 2007.

Damiera combines the progressive tones of bands such as At the Drive-In with superb musical talent like that of fellow indie rock band Minus the Bear. This combination, along with Raymond’s excellent vocal style and range, gives Damiera a unique sound, something that is sorely missing in today’s cookie-cutter world.

At times the singing is so strong it seems that some of the songs were written around Raymond’s impressive talent. The melodies, tempo and key of the songs all match with the vocals, perfectly creating a sound that is very vocally driven yet still manages to not overshadow the excellent musicianship of the band.

One example is the fourth track, “Via Invested.” As Raymond’s vocals hit higher notes, the guitars follow suit, creating a soaring sound that completely draws the listener in.

The album kicks off with “Immure,” which immediately greets the listener with Raymond’s excellent singing as well as Damiera’s fascination for quick tempo changes and start and stop playing, all of which the band pulls off with minimal effort. Damiera gives us little time to rest in-between tracks, as “Lessons” is off and running as soon as the previous track ends.

This is also a theme of “M(US)IC.” Each track blends seamlessly into the next, making for a very fluid album. You can tell all of these songs came out of the same writing session, as they fit together well and have a cohesive feeling to them.

As the album progresses, Damiera’s unique style of writing music becomes more and more clear. Rather than sticking to formulas like most bands do today, Damiera completely uses original song structures, giving a fresh feel to the album. You won’t find radio-friendly sing-along choruses here. Instead, Damiera resists the urge to create songs in a formulaic way, and lets the song develop on its own. The result is a sound that is never predictable or boring.

Numerous tracks throughout the album exhibit this strong writing skill, with the best being “I AM Pulse.” The song is one of the most unconventional tracks I have ever heard within this genre, with pauses coming out of nowhere, no semblance between chorus and verse and many tempo changes. However, Damiera is able to pull all of these elements into an incredibly strong song that is by far the best on the album.

This is not to say that “M(US)IC” is without its faults. The negative side to the songs all blending so seamlessly together is that it is sometimes hard to differentiate between the different tracks, as they begin to meld into one another. And while the writing style is ambitious, sometimes it feels as if Damiera should add a bit more structure to the record.

Overall, Damiera has both a sound and focus that is unique to. Thankfully, it resists the urge to create songs with commercialism in mind, instead of writing in a way that fits what it wants to do musically. Damiera is a breath of fresh air in a music scene that is terribly stale right now, and while its debut album is in no way perfect, it definitely has the potential to continue to develop into one of the top indie bands out right now.

Damiera is playing at The Alley in Fullerton this Friday with Moneen and Pisolita.

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