Maps & Atlases - Perch Patchwork (Barsuk Records)
5/5
By: Liane Escorza
When I first spoke to Dave Davison from Maps & Atlases last year, he told me he became obsessed with flamenco guitar techniques after spending some time in Spain. Considering this trip took place way before their first LP You and Me and the Mountain or even the preceding Trees, Swallows, Houses EP came out, it became pretty clear then that he not only absorbed knowledge like a sponge but also adapted his new skills in completely unexpected forms.
The same thing occurred with any other influences Davison incorporated at the time. To say that Davison is the pivotal member of this band is both a truth (Maps & Atlases wouldn’t be what they are without his unique voice and guitar work’s amoeba-like permeability) and a lie, since all members are equally as talented, diverse and balanced, preferring the fair display in turns of each other’s powers to a single dependency and consequently creating an entity that is highly eclectic yet sturdy and consistent in its core.
This Chicago-based band now return with Perch Patchwork, a record quick to show how they’ve developed and polished their sound in a way both unexpected and refreshing. Whilst they could easily have overcomplicated affairs and exploited their more sharp and clattering tendencies, Perch Patchwork is far from that. Whereas their EP releases were born of math-rock influences such as Joan of Arc, Don Caballero and Owls, their new approach boast a 1960s aroma with psychedelic infusion and less ragged shapes abounding without jeopardising the focus on musicianship.
Songs like ‘Will’ rely on Davison's melodic vocal line, their instruments chopping along his deep treble. So far so normal, but elsewhere, ‘The Charm’ brings an updated 60’s perspective mixed with marching band rhythms, ‘Solid Ground’ is layered in production with intertwined labyrinthic dances and lalala sing alongs, and bubbles burst in ‘Israeli Caves’, this little number being the catchiest of all tracks. The second half of the album becomes more intricate musically, including additional layers of wind, string instrumentation, harmonies and percussion ending in ‘Perch Patchwork’, a near-pastoral folk track locked in nostalgia.
Artists in this article: Maps and Atlases
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment