The Chicago based quartet, Maps and Atlases, just released their first full length album entitled Perch Patchwork. After extensive touring with a number of bands, including mewithoutYou, Ra Ra Riot, Portugal. the Man, The Fall of Troy, and many more, Maps and Atlases has developed quite a following over the past few years. For those of you who were fans of their first two EPs, Trees, Swallows, Houses, and You and Me and the Mountain, I'm sure this latest album won’t disappoint.
As you dive into the band’s newest addition to their repertoire, you may notice the first track “Will” does not have any actual singing. It’s almost reminiscent of the song “Witch” off their last EP You and Me and the Mountain. Then the first track begins to fade into a single suspended note and, as “The Charm” begins to pick up speed, lead vocalist Dave Davison starts in with his unique voicing of the melody. As Davison sings the almost lullaby of the pain of a love lost, you feel obliged to sing along. Though the lyrics may be of a darker nature, the tune keeps you singing of how you hate the sound of that person’s voice. The journey through the album continues with another look back at their eccentric and captivating beats of melody, bass, and harmony blending quite skillfully throughout. Maps and Atlases does not lack in musicality by any means. Whether Chris Hainey is mixing a complex pattern of beats and taps on everything around him, or Erin Edlers and Shiraz Dada are syncopating the rhythm in their own special ways, these guys have got talent and show it very well.
Now they are known for the technical side, but Perch Patchwork also greatly displays the band's organic side. Not only do they have technical pieces of music with a standard rock set, but they also showcase a number of unorthodox modern rock instruments, with almost a chamber-pop sound to some tracks. Widely diverse in their sound on this record, you can never be sure what they may bring next. It may be a soaring horn line, like in the song “If This Is.” Then “Was” leads us back into another instrumental, with the occasional vocal noise permeating through the wall of sound. Softly the final track comes to play, “Perch Patchwork,” and leads through a musical experience within itself. Finally ending with an A Capella blend of lyrics and ahs, Perch Patchwork is a notable notch in this band’s belt. With the new horizons on the front, the band is on their way to something worth remembering.
Perch Patchwork is a definite buy for fans of Maps and Atlases. And for those who aren’t fans or are and just don’t know it yet, this album has a lot to offer. And if you are close to a stop on one of their tours this summer, they are a band that does not disappoint. I have personally seen them play a couple of times now, long before I owned any of their music. Intrigue and fascination of their musical genius got the best of me and I don’t think I would have it any other way. Watch for a stop near you and give the album a try. It is well worth it.
"Perch Patchwork" is on sale June 29, 2010 from Barsuk.
