Often Lie, the second album by
Denver Dalley's
Statistics project, finds the one-time
Desaparecidos member in the same somber pop-embracing state that yielded the outfit's popular debut,
Leave Your Name. This time out, however, the electronics take a noticeable backseat to the guitar. Launched with the disc's strongest offering, "Final Broadcast" has subtle acoustic beginnings, but soon enough becomes a gentle giant as
Dalley's soothing vocals give way to a wall of six-string bliss. The shoegazer-meets-emo force of "No Promises" makes it second best, but the indie rock worthiness doesn't die there as the bright synthesizer touches of "Nobody Knows Your Name" and the convincing guitar lead of "Begging to Be Heard" offer a number reasons to be near-cheerful. If the tech-savvy "By(e) Now" feels like a leftover from the more experimental debut,
Statistics sophomore full-length has enough real songs to qualify it as an anomaly. ~ John D. Luerssen