ARTIST: Maps & Atlases
TITLE: You And Me And The Mountain
LABEL: Sargent House
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 191kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 17m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-07-16
RIP DATE: 2008-09-15
Track List
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1. Witch 3:23
2. Artichokes 2:55
3. You And Me And The Mountain 3:46
4. Daily News 4:09
5. Ted Zancha 3:16
Release Notes:
I dare you to listen to this EP and their last and not realize this band's shear
brilliance. Fucking rules.
ChicagoÆs Maps & AtlasesÆ new 5-song EP, You and Me and the Mountain, achieves
two significant challenges for an indie-pop album: itÆs fun without being
shallow, and itÆs electronic without sounding like a satellite radio techno
station providing the soundtrack to a trendy happy hour. Oh, and one other
thing. They use a cowbell û and it works.
Compared to their 2006 debut, Trees, Swallows, Houses (an arresting work of art
with a similar technical detail to Sufjan Stevens), the new album is catchier
with more sing-ability. Where the erratic time signatures on tunes from Trees
showed a real grasp of the math rock concept, the steadier rhythms of their new
work boast the bandÆs ability to polish the intricately woven details that give
them such a recognizable sound. The tunes on You and Me flow easily, leading
the listener from one song to the next.
ThatÆs not to say that Maps & Atlases is easy listening. The track ôWitchö has
both complex vocal and percussion arrangements, with no obvious
verse-chorus-verse pattern. Still, the song maintains a flow without being
jarring to the ear. The track ôTed Zanchaö is (mostly) in waltz time û a nice
display of varied musicianship. The vocal harmonies are especially stunning on
the song, and the sweet, folky instrumentals have that Sufjan-esque style that
makes it a good tune for a rainy afternoon. The title track is arguably the
most pop-friendly of the five. It has the youthful energy of Vampire Weekend,
but the instrumentals are truly distinctive for the band. It would be nearly
impossible to choose which track has the best intro, but IÆm leaning toward the
second track, ôArtichokesö.
Maps & Atlases has refined its electro-pop brilliance on this EP, giving fans a
taste of what they can do when every ounce of their energy is channeled into
just five songs.