Reviews

Statistics is the brain child of Denver Dalley, guitarist for the Desaparecidos. When band-mate Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes got huge Dalley found himself with some hiatus time on his hands. Statistics is the result, a one man effort featuring guitar, drums, bass, and a host of synths to layer and create a stripped down and (what else) sad feeling album. He blends basic stripped down indie rock sounding music with these big spacey synth riffs that add to it a surreal, out of place feel. Statistics has been compared heavily to 80s synth-pop, mainly duran duran, the cure, and a few other unnotables, but it really does stand well on its own outside those comparisons. It seems the only press it has gotten has been Bright Eyes or Conor Oberst related, but this is way more listenable to me than Bright Eyes. I was totally put off by all the descriptions and comparisons, but when it comes down to it, this is a pretty damn good release. It is heartfelt, engrossing, and overall impressive for coming from one man. The only thing I would say is that if you are not a person too interested in basic stripped down indie rock or mostly into heavier stuff, this album may not be too persuasive, but I would encourage you to at least try it out. Four stars for a good release.