D. CLEA
Springfield, Missouri, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF
Music
Press
I’ve known Darien Clea for four years, and through all the songwriters I’ve met, she has always had the simple gift of being able to write catchy, instant hit songs. They might not be the typical pop songs you’ll hear on the radio, but they’re more grounded. They’re the kind of songs that will get stuck in your head for days because of the intricate, introspective lyrics. Multiple incarnations aside, the first full length EP from Darien features some classics from her repertoire and a few surprising new ones.
The five song EP kicks off with “Light On The Wall”, a relatively newer track from the established songwriter, and features delicate piano lines all the way through and a melody shrouded by a deep bass and drum sound. Darien paints a beautiful picture through her shy, yet powerful vocals, and lyrics like “My numb heart was replaced / with a heart that could feel things / and the light filled the whole room / from the carpet / to the ceiling / I see myself changing for the better since you came along.” The beautiful heartfelt song is followed up by an old classic, and the first Darien song I ever heard, “So I Hid Myself”. Previous versions were very soft and elemental, like they were recorded in a backyard, complete with scribbling lyrics out of a written paper. The new version is much more thought out, and structured with a solid guitar-driven beat, yet still focuses on Darien’s haunting vocals on the chorus. She’s also written a brand new bridge to the song layered over a simple drum beat. It gives the song much more depth and makes it instantly memorable.
“Home” is one of my favorite Darien Clea songs, simply because of the deeply personal lyrics and how we can all identify with the longing to go home and sink inside ourselves when things go wrong. Even if it’s the best thing for us, it “makes me wish for home / where nothing’s hard and everyone’s used to my flaws / so I’ve no need to change.” The new version has a great percussion focus, and deep piano elements that compliment Darien’s dual layer vocals. Yes, this girl does multiple overdubs and they work every single time. “Peninsula” is another new track, similar to “Light on the Wall”, but the track features an electric feel, with static beats and a soft piano in the background, making for a smooth melody from the songwriter. The short 5 song EP ends with the beautiful back woods sound of “Porch Swing”, featuring a soothing melody from Darien, almost in lullaby tone. It’s a beautiful love song to end the EP with.
Darien has grown so much in the years I’ve known her, and this EP is the ultimate example of the growth she has experienced over the years. While some of the songs aren’t new, the extra instrumentation of these new versions give new life to the great songs from her catalog. This is an EP that is surely not to be missed. - Justin Mabee | November 13th, 2013
It’s been a while since I’ve been compelled to write a Get to Know. It’s been a while since I’ve been compelled to write anything on the site. While I have been watching a lot of movies and listening to a lot of music, none of it has struck the kind of nerve that forced me to the keyboard to share my thoughts about it. Today, 11/10/2012, I think I discovered something that recreated a fire in me to write a few words and to share these words.
My son is studying guitar with the Visible Community Music School based here in Memphis (a part of the Visible Music College which you should definitely get to know). Today Memphis was introduced to the MemFix project. Which is a coalition set to reignite the arts in conjunction with the Crosstown area in Memphis. The setting was at the corner of Cleveland Street. There were bands playing, food trucks lined up across the street and in a change for Memphis in November the weather captured the coolness and warmth of the atmosphere (oxymoron? yep). The Visible Music College put together a mini concert featuring instructors and students. The last artist to perform was Darien Clea Band.
It’s about 9 hours later, right now and I’m sitting here listening to the cd, which I pulled all of the money out of my pocket to buy without counting it I might add. Darien Clea’s voice is a mixture of Regina Spektor, Lamb and the feel of warm spring rain that you want to stand in and let cover you from head to toe. Really the blend of acoustic and piano creates a sound that is described as folk, but in reality the music has a deeper soul. There is something to be said about singer/songwriters who craft songs that are careful and descriptive stories, these artists who create and play… matter. Darien’s voice is stunning. I could sit here and add her bio and try to sound all educated in writing a music review, but I won’t. the purpose of this is to introduce her to the few people that stop by this blog. Check out her myspace page here, Like her Facebook page here and take a few minutes to just listen. Get to Know Darien Clea Band.
P.S. The song that I think will be a major breakout song is “So I Hid Myself” get her cd or listen on the myspace page to hear this song and let me know what you think. In the meantime Get To Know Darien Clea Band - Chris Burns, CB Publishing
D. Clea’s debut is seven songs of pop bliss. Singer Darien Williams delivers memorable hooks and melodic runs with wide range through lyrics both direct and metaphoric. There’s no doubt the album is firmly planted in pop music, though the band delivers impressive range. On the album’s third track, “Wearing Skin,” drummer Matt Fritzler dances from a distinctly jazz pattern to something you would hear behind a heavy rock cut before ending in swing. Ryan Westeren keeps it simple throughout on bass, lending a little more emphasis to his intricate runs (hear the 3:36 mark on “Darkroom”). Guitarist Caleb Block contributes several layers of texture along with Williams’ contribution on keys. The Springfield quartet released In Sickness on August 12. The album is available on most digital outlets, with a follow up, In Health, already in pre-production.—Brett Johnston - 417 Magazine
Discography
IN SICKNESS, 2016, Produced by Michael Palmquist. All songs written by Darien Clea
Darien Clea, 2013, Produced by Dennis Herring. All songs written by Darien Clea.
Photos
Bio
An Alternative-Pop group based in the Midwest, D.CLEA is Darien Clea, Caleb Block, Matt Fritzler, and Ryan Westeren. This collective's road as a band has, from the beginning, been defined by their disregard for the normal way of doing things.
Some artists write from skill first, setting boundaries along the way so that when it comes time to perform the song, it's something they can actually pull off. For D. CLEA, however, the songs are dreamed up first, and it's not unusual for them to step into the practice room and find the songs have grown taller than their capabilities. This "creativity first, logistics later" mentality, and the hours of practice it demands, is what gives their music its polished, innovative sound, and it also happens to be the reason they didn't release a studio album until their sixth year of playing music together.
IN SICKNESS, D.CLEA's debut record, is the result of years of writing, re-writing, and re-re-writing, and thus, in itself, a living metaphor for the very concept of the album: being cut away at and refined by love in all its unexpectedly bitter, grief-ridden, and self-sacrifice demanding moments. And while IN SICKNESS was written over a period of half a decade, their sophomore album IN HEALTH was written in under 6 months with the exception of a single track.
IN HEALTH in many ways contains emotional ghosts of its predecessor, but lyrically bares a newfound soul maturity, and musically takes risks that were side-stepped on their previous album. Releasing January 18th of 2018, IN HEALTH promises to be a big step forward for D.CLEA, and just the beginning of what's to come from this band.
Band Members
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