Denison Marrs

Item: Denison Marrs
Author: Phil Nichols

(2004)

Reviewed by Phil Nichols

Discogs Apple Music

Label Floodgate RecordsDecapolisDecember 2004

emo indie rock shoegaze

I believe in miracles. Not silly magic tricks like the time David Copperfield made the statue of liberty disappear. No, I mean miracles. You see, I have witnessed a death. I have mourned over the loss of someone to whom I felt close. But the amazing part - the miraculous part - is that I have seen them resurrected. Of course I am talking about Denison Marrs. Not long ago, the guys called it quits, and yet - lo and behold! - I am now sitting here with their brand new album in my hands. A miracle!

Denison Marrs started out with a pair of relatively unheard of independent releases, Holding Hands @ 35,000 Feet and World Renown For Romance. After moderate success in Florida's independent scene the band was signed by the Warner Brothers distributed Floodgate Records and released Then Is The New Now. Since then, the band members have been touring, writing, getting married, having children, and starting side-projects. Needless to say, life has become pretty hectic, which would explain their sudden death (and resurrection) earlier this year.

Musically, Denison Marrs combines the spacey ambience of World Renown For Romance with the straight-ahead rock of Then Is The New Now. However, this album shows some additional attention to the melody, layering, and arrangement of the songs. This is somewhat ironic, as the band tried to ignore all of the typical rules of songwriting and structure while writing this record. Instrumentally, there are a few minor differences: the new wave-like basslines are bouncier than previous releases, the guitar lines seem a little more experimental than before, and a new drummer has been added to the roster. Eric Collins' vocals, the distinguishing ingredient in the Denison Marrs sound, continue to shift flawlessly from passionate crooning to anthemic falsetto notes and back again. Lyrically these are songs of day to day life, of love, of hope, and of faith - topics that are often overused by CCM artists, but on Denison Marrs are given a new and creative twist.

While this is a solid release, it is not the best Denison Marrs album to date. There are a few filler tracks on the disc that slow down its momentum when listening to it from beginning to end. That said, this is probably the most accessible Denison Marrs album to date and could very well get them some of the attention that they deserve. If you are a fan of their past albums, you will enjoy this as it is basically a melting pot of their previous releases. However, if you were not a fan before, Denison Marrs won't make you one.

3/4