Denali

Item: Denali
Author: Clara Sayre

(2002)

Reviewed by Clara Sayre

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Label Jade Tree RecordsDecapolisMay 2002

dream pop indie rock

I'd seen posters for this record way before I received the cd to do a review on it. The name intrigued me the most and I wondered what it meant. Denali. Sounds African or something. So for those of you who are still wondering, I looked it up on their record label's website Jade Tree Records and it seems like I was completely wrong: The name Denali is taken from the Athapascan name for Alaska's Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. The meaning is fairly obvious: cold, remotely desolate, permanent... something the band felt pertained rather well to the sound they were stumbling upon.

Denali is made up of Maura Davis (on vocals, guitars, keyboards), Keeley Davis (on bass, keyboards, vocals), Cameron DiNunzio (on guitars), and Jonathan Fuller (on drums). They are based out of Richmond, VA and became a band back in 2000 when Maura approached her brother Keeley about working with the music she was writing. He enlisted the help of Cameron and Jonathan and Denali was born. Their website can be found at: Denali (Their tour info is on this website...they'll be out the month of June..so go check them out.)

I know some folks don't like it when reviewers compare a band to other known bands, but I think that's the best way to pull the reader in. Denali, to me, sounds like a mixture of Sixpence None the Richer and Hybrid (more based on vocals than anything else). The musical mix supporting Davis' voice is a haunting, melodic, running-in-slow-motion kind of feel to it (think Enigma's or Adiemus' music). And that's just the beginning of the amazing things I could say about this album.

The self-titled album begins with French Mistake which begins so softly, you're not sure if the cd has started yet or not. A single guitar riff is heard and then Davis' striking voice starts the song. It's hard to believe that a couple minutes into the song will be a strong, rocking chorus that abruptly drops back just as quickly as it appears (I know how to help this one out/so here comes your turn/now I'm feeling something tonight.)

Prozac is another evocative, slow-moving song that deserves some mentioning. I love the harmonies between Davis and her brother because it adds so much dimension to the powerful lyrics that they are singing: "...say it before I'm done/can't you say it/before I think of the next time/in all this burning..." It is a short song (the shortest on the whole cd) but I have to say it's one of my favorites. Prozac ends unexpectedly and feeds into the next song, Relief, almost immediately with drums and keyboards. Very nice effect. It is this kind of production that makes the cd flow flawlessly and you don't even notice when one song ends and one begins.

Function takes a different approach and begins with a single piano. Davis joins in and I can't help but be reminded of a Tori Amos song. (Sorry to those of you who don't like her...anytime I hear something that reminds me of Amos, I am really excited.) There are slight keyboard effects in the background to continue the poignant ambience that this whole record is filled with.

Denali isn't afraid to strip their music down to a single guitar and Davis' voice and that's what makes this album so enjoyable. They can bring a full sound to a song when they want to and just when they reach the mountaintop, they plummet their music down to the bare essentials and you're left breathless. If it isn't obvious by now, I love this album. I would highly recommend if you like (as said before) Sixpence None the Richer, Hybrid, Enigma, Adiemus, or Tori Amos.

A-