Denison Marrs is one of the best emo bands in the "Christian" scene, but has yet to receive the exposure they deserve. But for the first time ever many people will have an opportunity to hear their new record, "Then is the New Now," which will be nationally distributed by Floodgate Records.
Blending the beauty of The Cure's vocals with the edginess of Jimmy Eat World, Denison Marrs has a unique sound. What also makes "Then is the New Now" worth hearing is that it tends to break away from the type of emo that drags for five minutes without reaching any climactic point.
"Then is the New Now" begins with its best song "What Life Has," which sets the tone for the album musically with its radio-friendly chorus and lyrically with lines like, "I want to live for something, I don't really want to die here anymore." While no one song does quite match "What Life Has," there are still many other songs deserving of multiple listens such as: "The Real Ones," "This is All the Time," "This Must Be Love," "Send Me an Angel" and "Keeping It Cool." The vocal range that is displayed on the chorus of track two "You Feel Like" is also worth hearing again.
Unfortunately, track six "Rescue Mission" and track seven "Pow!" seem like filler songs when compared to the others. Another song that is not quite so likeable is the final track of the ten songs, "Ps148," which is about seven minutes long with a four-minute bonus track that is an instrumental continuation of the earlier part of the song.
Yet despite a few tracks, which might be a little less desirable than the others, "Then is the New Now" is still a very solid album and may win Denison Marrs many new fans. The album features a handful of driving songs with majestic vocals and plenty of pop hooks. The lyrical content is clearly much more faith-based than ever before, but fans of their older albums probably won't mind that at all since the album's music and production also reach a new level.
B+
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Bert GanglThe ability of any artist to call their musical influences clearly to the mind of the listener without simultaneously hurling down the slippery slope of outright plagiarism is indeed a rare one. For every band like, say, R.E.M. or the Gin Blossoms that has managed to harness the defining essence of their musical inspirations (in this case, the Byrds, among others) and translate that quantity into…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Noel LloydOkay, the first thing I have to admit is that I love the name of this band--Denison Marrs. I am intrigued as to how they acquired it. Could it be the name of some obscure hero from a 1950s Roger Corman sci-fi flick? Or perhaps it is some turn of the century dead poet of whose prose I the inerudite philistine possess no knowledge? I am sure somebody could provide me with the answer, but I prefer…The Rebel Base 2002Reviewed by Andree FariasDenison Marrs is not a new pop singer or an inane candy bar. Denison Marrs is simply a rock band. A badass, no-holds-barred rock band. Gritty and unpolished, these indie favorites are responsible for Then is the New Now, the most recent head-turning outing from Floodgate Records, the California-based upstart that has already wowed us with the intensity of hard rockers EastWest and the heartfelt…Similar sounding releases
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