Review: Engine Down - Demure

artist: engine down album: demure label: lovitt records released: by: ryan nee Demure is the third full-length release from the Richmond, Virginia based band, Engine Down. The band is known for their mellow, yet incredibly tense style of straightforward rock with a few twists and turns that keep it interesting. I picked up the prior release from Engine Down, To Bury Within The Sound, and was very impressed. At first listen, Demure just didn’t live up to its predecessor. The style of the music had shifted and become less based on the waxing and waning climaxes of To Bury Within the Sound and had shifted more in the direction of consistent rock. After listening to this record three or four times, I was completely dragged into the new style and sound. Twenty or so listens later, I am convinced that this is the best album that Engine Down has ever released. Demure starts out with a constant syncopated drumbeat, a few notes on the guitar and the great voice of singer/guitarist Keeley Davis in the opening track, “Songbird.” The band lays the groundwork for what is to come in this slow, driving, and tense track. To me, “Songbird” is like the opening credits of the album – it lays the groundwork and provides a good overview of the sound of Engine Down, while creating an intense sense of tension in the mind of a listener. The next song on the record, “Pantomime,” is one of the most rocking songs on the record. The catchy, yet cryptic lyrics of Keeley Davis chime over the instruments. The instrumentation of Engine Down really shines on this song – they manage to beautifully balance loud and soft parts, string progressions and driving chords, and instrumental and vocal sections. Each and every part of this song, as well as the other songs on this record, are amazingly catchy. The record flows through each song, with some songs more rocking than others, but constantly manages to keep a brilliant balance between overly consistent and not consistent enough. Each song has its own character and voice, yet they all manage to keep the same Engine Down sound. Highlights of the record include the climactic interludes of the fourth song, “Detour,” and the intense chord progressions of the seventh song, “Overrated,” among many other great songs on the record. There are only two drawbacks to this record. First of all, you can’t really hear the bass for most of the record. In a few songs, the bass shines through, but for most of the record it is completely inaudible. I have never been one of those people that would rather listen to a good recording than a good record, so this problem doesn’t reallybother me that much. The second thing that I find to be a problem with the record is that the lyrics of Engine Down are overly cryptic. While the lyrics set a good tone for the songs, I have no idea what any of these songs are about. A few parts come through and are pretty easily decipherable, such as “I gave your time away to the first smile come my way.” But others, such as “Seen it before / picture-perfect release temperature / filled this room,” just don’t seem to make much sense. Writing lyrics is something that I personally enjoy doing, and I think it’s important to strike a good balance between creating songs that only have meaning to yourself, and creating songs from which your listener can derive some kind of meaning. I don’t feel like Engine Down really accomplishes this task in any of their records, and Demure is no different. Overall, this is a great record, and is definitely one I will be listening to for years to come. This is one of those records where you have a new favorite song every few weeks. Songs that were looked over after ten listens emerge as your favorites after a few more listens. I highly recommend this record to anyone who likes other rock-oriented bands like Cursive or The Casket Lottery. favorite song: "overrated" rating: 93%/100% listen to engine down