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4 excellent

Denali Denali

Denali's great self-titled album proves to fully take advantage of Maura Davis's beautiful voice and keeps the listener entertained with emotional, well structured music. Although the instrumentation may not be so original or technical, the occasional density of sound and the peaceful synthy melodies only build on Maura's vocals. A great alternative album.

Engine Down Under the Pretense of Present Tense

Virginia-based post-hardcore band Engine Down's debut album showed a rougher sound that would later only be an influence in the rest of their music: the classic D.C. sound. Unlike the rest of their discography, Under the Pretense of Present Tense also features screaming that's actually pulled off rather well. Like with the rest of their music, Engine Down favors more simple instrumentation with not much obvious technicality. The overall sound mostly resembles the typical emo sound of the time and area, with cleaner melodies and softer singing/spoken word leading up to rather harsh, distorted guitars and screaming. This album shows a more intense sound that showed how Engine Down was a force to be reckoned with.

3.5 great

Ambulette The Lottery EP

Ambulette's The Lottery EP plays like a slightly more upbeat Denali, though it's not too hard to say that, since vocalist Maura Davis is the standout in both bands and since Denali's albums tended to be a bit more downkey. Although it lacks the distorted sound that Denali was almost starting to overuse, the structures still show the same "alternative" formula. Maura shows off a bit more of her range than with Denali, allowing for a bit more variation, though I must admit that it's a bit strange to hear (dare I say it?) deeper vocals. The Jacques Brel cover "If You Go Away" also shows off a bluesy guitar solo, a feature not often (if at all) seen in Denali's music. However, it's difficult for me to decide whether I prefer the production either, as it was easy to enjoy the simple, somewhat distorted and moody sound from Denali (one would assume thanks to Keeley Davis of Engine Down, which was noted for its minimalist style). Also, like in Denali, you find a few slower, almost depressing songs with distorted choruses, and you find some upbeat songs. And with the exception of a few moments of good guitar leads, Maura's beautiful voice takes the front with ease. All in all, The Lottery EP shows some promise in Ambulette, but it's still very difficult to differentiate between it and Denali. And hey, being an Engine Down fan AND a Denali fan, it's kinda sad to hear Maura Davis without Keeley Davis with her. I guess one could say that The Lottery is a good Denali EP.

3 good

Engine Down Engine Down

I may be a fan of Engine Down, but with their last album, Engine Down, we see them moving to an even more generic, radio-friendly "post-hardcore" sound. Although their albums tended to get closer to this sound, their previous two, Demure and To Bury Within the Sound still managed to entertain with their melancholic, simple sound. Although I hate to use the phrase "radio-friendly" to describe the sound, it's really the most evident progression in Engine Down's sound with this album. I also hate to make it seem as if their signing to a more well-known label for this label made them "sell out" or some crap like that. I'll admit that the production is better, but to be honest, the previous style was something that I personally enjoyed quite a bit. Engine Down still shows off their wonderful sense of melody and mood, and don't get me wrong; their two albums before this weren't exactly challenging. However, at least the two gave Engine Down some identity in the modern "post-hardcore" scene.