’m going to write two different kinds of reviews for this album: the short, sweet, objective review and the longer, more subjective review. Actually, I’m only going to write part of the former review – Denali’s press release folks handled the bulk of it for me. Well, here goes...


The Short Review
Here’s what the promotional press release had to say about Denali’s s/t release: “The self-titled debut album from Richmond, VA’s DENALI (Reviewer’s note: yeah, the press release put their name in all caps and bold like this album is the second coming or something). Featuring Keeley of ENGINE DOWN, Denali combines Portishead’s melodic dynamics with Rainer Maria’s indie rock pop hooks. Produced by Mark Linkous and Alan Weatherhead of Sparklehorse.


So, if all the above sounds good to you, go ahead and buy this album. I’m not going to stop you.


The Long Review
Denali self-titled debut album pretty much sounds a combination of all of the bands mentioned in the press release. In practice, this is a good thing: all said bands are, at worst, good at what they do (Rainer Maria, Engine Down) and at best, incredible (Portishead, Sparklehorse). Ironically, the mish-mash of influences converging on Denali’s debut album creates as much of a problem as it does a solution. While the familiar sounds on this album will no doubt please some ears, it will leave just as many running back to their Portishead CDs. For the most part, Denali neither manages to break new ground or outdo their influences. This is unfortunate because, obvious influences aside, Denali have actually created a pretty decent debut.


The album begins with “French Mistake”, a song that will silence all those wondering what it would sound like if the members Portishead and Rainer Maria formed a supergroup – before either band existed. The opening song’s melancholic undertones show their image throughout the entire album and are more important to the album than the song itself. While tracks such as “French Mistake” and the fifth track, “Prozac” are more subdued and really kind of drag on, the second track, “You Lose”, reveals a more upbeat, poppy side to Denali. This track is one of the album’s highlights, with Maura’s operatic vocals perfectly complementing the keyboards and drum-rooted instrumentation. The entire album shifts between these two sides of Denali and in the end, you can’t help but wonder what these songs would have sounded like if Portishead and Rainer Maria actually did write them.


Strangely enough, Denali’s sound actually works more effectively when they choose to focus in on one influence at a time instead of many. “Everybody Knows” manages to beat Rainer Maria at their own game, rocking the listener slowly but confidently. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that “Relief” was actually written Portishead – the song as that infectious. Unfortunately, these more focused tracks are the exception rather than the rule and it hurts Denali’s debut in the end. On the other end of the quality spectrum, the listener is presented with tracks such as “Function” that try too hard to be cute and sentimental and instead just come off as tired and pretentious. Listen to that organ in the middle of “Time Away”. I challenge you to keep a straight face and tell me that it adds anything to the song whatsoever. To Denali, here’s a bit of advice: if you’re not going to go the innovative route, please don’t go the overly sentimental route, either. The result of artists going down that route way too fucking much is awful tripe like Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos. If Denali was a band composed entirely of rookies, such mistakes would be more acceptable. This is not the case, however, and that’s why these seemingly minor blunders are so disappointing.


But I digress. The good still outweighs the bad here. The fact that Denali do such a good job of paying tribute to their influences gives hope that this debut is just a taste of better, more focused albums in the future. The closing track, “Where I Landed”, is a pretty good summation of the album as a whole. The song is hopelessly derivative and meandering at its worst. The song, however, does a complete 180 come chorus time, with Maury’s best vocal melodies of the entire album. I just wish that the entire album was like this one chorus.


...So, if all the above sounds good to you, go ahead and buy this album. I’m not going to stop you.