Nicholas Chapel, the songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who trades under the name Demians, need never seek therapy, if his band’s second album Mute is any indication. He’s hardly the first musician to work out his problems in the grooves, of course – it’s common as muck in the artist’s world. The point of mentioning it is twofold. Firstly, he’s not wallowing in his own angst, but actually working out his issues. There’s too much defiance in “Tidal” and positive energy in “Feel Alive” for Mute to be the latest wrist-cutter’s symphony. Secondly, Chapel has a strong feel for rock and pop anthems and adds a soupçon of progressive rock inorder to keep the arrangements lush and wide. Gorgeous melodyfests like “Rainbow Ruse” and Overhead” use shifting dynamics to emulate the push and pull of emotional turmoil, from roil to release, without succumbing to loud/soft clichés or emo wankery. No matter how bad you might feel, Demians argue, things will get better. Let the healing begin.
http://myspace.com/demiansmusic
http://insideout.de
