Review From the O'Colly Today

Band releases sophomore album, seeks originality

By Kevin Sears
Contributing Writer
Since the Beatles, many bands have attempted to tackle the indie-pop genre with varying degrees of success. Many fall short of being distinct in a genre of tapped-out originality. However, Yesan Damen (pronounced Yes-on Day-men) sticks to tradition while also breaking away to show its uniqueness.

Chronos/Kairos was released domestically on Jan. 15 on Seattle, Wash, imprint, New Wine Records. It is the band’s second release and a progression from its 2006 release, “The Never Beginning Story.” Yesan Damen has been compared to Sufjan Stevens and Belle and Sebastian in the past, but to end the list there is not right. With similarities to Beulah, Masters of the Hemisphere, Tilly and the Wall, The Rentals, Stars, Nada Surf and Midlake, Yesan Damen possesses all of the qualities that make their contemporaries good while setting themselves apart with their use of clever arrangements that are used at all the right times and places. The opening track “Whoa!” Incorporates a piano line that meanders in and out of the verse and chorus, while the next track, “Monuments To Ambition,” is a more guitar-driven pop song. “Chronos/Kairos” sticks to this method and delivers the listener a package of songs you can sing along to during the first listen. This is not a bad thing. Pop music is based on the ability to give listeners the proper tools to be able to instantly be part of it. This entire album isn’t just a collection of sugar-coated pop songs that leave you begging for more. It is an album with a pinch of experimentation in instrumentation. There are violins, flutes, cellos, horns, banjos and even a Korean drum called a Changgo mixed into the complexity of the music. Granted, those instruments might not seem impressive because of how commonly they are used in pop music. But Yesan Damen uses them to provide more depth to the arrangements and in places and spots where you will feel they are necessary. Nothing on “Chronos/Kairos” is overdone or used for the simple reason of its proximity to the musicians during the writing process. Every note seems carefully calculated and practically perfect.

“Chronos/Kairos” is a record packed with memorable songs such as “Hang on For Dear Life,” “Outer Space,” “Time Spent Elsewhere” and “Canons of Devotion.” This small three piece from Seattle, Wash., can give the massive 23-member The Polyphonic Spree, a run for its money. Yesan Damen accomplishes what takes The Polyphonic Spree an entire army to do with far less people and in less than 35 minutes. They are not perfect or geniuses. They know how to craft a simple, catchy pop record complete with all of the right hooks and enough experimentation to keep you glued to the stereo. In the over-saturated climate of indie-pop, bands with a fresh take on the genre like Yesan Damen are needed to break up the monotony.
Yesan Damen may be a small band from Washington, however, they are a band to keep an eye on in the future. This isn’t the first or last album for them. Chronos/Kairos will be an album that people go back to several years from now while humming a melody or when they have lyrics stuck in their head. Yesan Damen is that type of band. They are timeless, talented, smart and catchy.

The verdict: “I urge you to give them a listen because I promise you’ll thank me for it later.”
4/5 stars