“Deep sea and deep space… I tend to write songs about extremes,” commented Darien, as she introduced a composition off her new release Theorem at one of her recent shows. Classically trained in Ukraine beginning at the age of four (her family moved a lot, her father managing nuclear site decommissions), it was a few years later that Darien fell in love with songwriting. She heard old time Irish ballads on the family stereo and was transfixed by the insistent and plaintive melodic ballads filled with evocative stories about relationships. A few years later, this time in England, Darien was moved to write her own songs after hearing a track from Eisley’s album Room Noises. She then had her first studio experience, quickly laying down straight ahead voice and guitar recordings.
Darien returned to America armed with a group of songs she was ready to commit to more fully. The collection was a compelling mix of both magical and serious subject matter, all driven by infectious melodies. She found producer Andrew Schatzberg at Landslide Studio and began work demoing the songs. Schatzberg recognized Darien’s songs and voice as unique and approached her about expanding the recording into a fully arranged album. A full collaboration ensued and the songs were explored with additional musicians and a wider palette of sounds. Schatzberg worked on hooking into the melodic elements and the feeling of the lyrics, taking each song in its own direction. Darien was open to any idea, increasingly comfortable in the laboratory of the studio and willing to sing and play until both were happy with the result.
When the recording was done they had eight songs and decided to whittle it down to the most cohesive six. The stunning final product was an easy decision for Alive and Well Records. They pursued Darien, who agreed to put the album out with the label in March, 2010. Darien is now working with local musicians to capture the recording live in support of the release. As she gears up for the release she is working on the next collection of songs which she will begin demoing this year for the full-length follow up.
The six song debut EP Theorem from Darien is a journey of story and sound that leaves you with one desire when it’s over:to hit play again and again. She leads you through songs of magic and whimsy, love and loss, seamlessly moving between genres of chamber pop, electronica and singer-songwriter. Darien’s vocal delivery and lyrical acumen is riveting throughout. Accompanied by stellar production, the Theorem EP is an exciting prelude of what’s to come from this new artist.
Theorem opens with Avalanche, a song of sad beauty about an addict who was loved. The instrumentation is muscularly sparse, with a triggered kick drum in the intro that pounds like an exploding heartbeat. By the first chorus the band is locked into a groove that backs Darien’s vulnerable and powerful vocals. The track Chandelier follows with Darien letting you peak inside her mind as she daydreams about animating a scene to her liking while riffing on religion, free will and pop culture. The backing music is filled with driving and whimsical drum patterns, sympathetic and increasingly intertwining cellos, a walking bass line and hard panned acoustic guitars. The whole effect is somewhere between the Beatles’ Two of Us and Eleanor Rigby. 5th and 6th slows things down with an intimate lover’s poem about the, “light between my 5th and 6th rib that burns brighter when you’re near.” Darien delivers the lines so tenderly that you’re lulled into her private revelry. The band is subdued and gentle making room for her plaintive and unrushed vocals. The next two tracks, Marianas Trench and Halley’s Comet, depart for urban edged electronica with more opaque story lines and impressionistic lyrics. Darien’s vocal flexibility is highlighted as she drives the clubby production, no longer vulnerable, striding confidently like a modern day Nancy Sinatra. The closer Thereom is a minute and a half of stark brilliance. Just a guitar and voice illuminate the ashes of a falling out between friends. When the harmony enters on, “you told me I better move on” the two vocal lines start to intertwine, circling in haunting intervals until Darien’s lead vocal breaks solo again ending in the aching, “you were what I wanted.” The performance is one to behold.
Throughout the CD, each song is treated as its own work, like dedicatedly designed rooms in an architect’s house. Each track flows into the other, moving across a wide spectrum of styles. Producer Andrew Schatzberg mines each song’s core, pushing the envelope for the middle tracks Marianas Trench and Halley’s Comet, opening wide for opener Avalance and closer Theorem, and providing the chamber atmosphere for Chandelier and the quiet intimacy for 5th and 6th. Darien’s vocals lead from start to finish, whether out front, nestled in the mix, or bouncing around the spectrum during more adventurous moments. Theorem is a thoroughly satisfying debut work from an artist to be watched.
