Send "Division Day " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 They may claim Santa Cruz, Calif., as their hometown, but Division Day can't help but sound as if their hearts are rooted elsewhere: specifically, in Omaha, circa 1999. Their debut full-length, 2007's Beartrap Island, was tricked out with all manner of art-pop production flourishes, but all the atmospheric whooshes and vaguely dubby drum sounds in the world couldn't disguise the good ol' cornfed American emo heart beating at the music's center. When they stuck with this basic impulse, they gathered momentum; the rest of the time, they lingered in muddier waters, coming across as a better-than-average average rock band with some grand ambitions.Their second full-length, Visitation, doubles down on the art-rock signifiers, which means, unfortunately, it also doubles the production effects-- those whooshes are now accompanied by billowing synths, glitchy bursts of noise, sirenlike blares, and seven or eight different vocal filters. It's a somewhat disorienting look for what is basically meat-and-potatoes guitar rock, and it doesn't do these guys many favors. The scrapyard drums of opener "Reservoir" immediately set the agenda. "Devil Light", meanwhile, is pockmarked with slowed-tape noises and bursts of static, with harp and celesta glimmering in the background, and yet it still sounds what it is-- a nice-enough midtempo rocker. The same goes for "Carrier"; despite a massive wall of synths quivering in the background, the vocal melody is straight prom slow-dance material, right down to the softly glowing saxophone solo....full text |
| Popmatters |
| Foreboding, murky and pensive. Visitation, the second full-length release from Los Angeles-based mood-rock outfit Division Day conjures a smoky sonic dream, with packaging, eerie tracking and a title that rather accurately constructs an unfamiliar, though not unpleasant, whole. Gone are the crisp timbres of Beartrap Island. Instead, heavy instrumental washes lap over one another and create waves of melody and noise that obscure clarity in favor of a crafty group identity. The result is an unexpected departure from the band’s bright debut and a movement towards uncharted waters of musical mysticism. On the cover of Visitation, a blue-skinned mystery woman accompanies futuristic, geometric script carrying the album title. Within, the single fold of glossy red with black undertones of the CD booklet and disc hint at the monolithic and dark content of the music beyond. Alien imagery, complete with azure women and blood-red vistas, frame the idea of Visitation as a murky, mysterious alternative to the accessible sounds that helped break Division Day into the music scene. Justin Meldal-Johnson, famed for his work with Beck and the Nine Inch Nails, lent his production skills to Visitation. The troupe engineered a brooding album whose tracks emphasize a cold whole instead of a collection of vivid components. Most noticeably, Rohner Segnitz and Seb Bailey’s vocals remain largely obscured throughout the album. With few exceptions, their androgynous croons are shadowy and warbled phrases. Stretching and bending over the waves of programming and guitars beneath them, the words have a subdued fervency that remains veiled in milky delays and robotic doubling....full text |
| Awmusic |
| Division Day, a band out of Los Angeles and are a very talented band. I bought Beartrap Island and really enjoyed their covers. Even though I purchased Division Day’s last album, I gave a very mild review as I wasn’t really feeling a lot of the album. Sometimes, all the talent in the world doesn’t equate to the best album. The truth of the matter is that Division Day could go many ways with their talents especially being backed by a strong singer in Rohner Segnitz. The band’s problem in my own personal opinion is that the band lacks consistency on an album. It’s really all over the place and while you can keep calling the band promising, it is their 3rd full release. How long do you wait until a band truly finds its’ sound? (not be cliché) Visitation, released on August 18th is at least a better album then Beartrap Island and the band does show off more talents then previously but again, it’s held back by the band not really having a truly definable sound. The album opens up to Reservoir, a great sub-3 minute track. It shows off great vocals and a high tempo pace. The band could work well in either pace but it’s just hard to get comfortable and I guess with albums I expect to have some cohesion. A good example would be the uses of Azalean, Devil Light and Planchette which are two softer, slower tracks that wedge in between Surrender for a short return back to frenzied tempos. At this point, it kind of goes downhill on the consistency factor. I love the title track but it just feels so out of place in the latter half of the album in between slower songs. It’s roughly half and half between tempos and the difference between them seems so apparent that the band should just choose one of the other or put them on separate albums… Even then the band employed quicker paced songs to start then just put on the brakes for the next half and then started switching back and forth....full text |
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