smarterthan3's Full Review: Destination: Beautiful by Mae (Rock)
Some bands mix and match genres, producing such tags as rap-metal, emocore, and crunk rock (No joke on that last one). Mae takes a different approach; They mix the light vocals and the majorly acoustic landscape from the pop tank with the slick melodies of the electric guitar in the major rock forum, and throw in a small vial of purified emo (i.e. sans selfish angst and talk of wrists, blood or hell). Simply put, they take the best of each component and, mostly, leave behind each genre's shortcomings. It's a concoction most, including myself, will quickly label pop-rock because we don't dare mislabel it. This '' quartet's sound doesn't give contradictory evidence to the fact that there is nothing new under the sun, but they do show that you don't need something refreshingly unheard of to craft a collection (A debut one at that) that deserves to be owned by all interested in the genre.
"Destination: Beautiful" shows immediately it's in no hurry. It's not too many modern bands that would give away their first minute of an album attempting to entrance listeners with crystal but traditional guitar strings and swirls of air; it doesn't exactly grab a listener by their collar. Even when vocalist David Elkes and his slightly more falsetto then average voice get introduced, things still don't spark up. But, when the chorus of opener "Ambers and Envelopes" peaks its head out, one won't be disappointed. It's the epitome of the fusion that I described in the opening paragraph. Dave belts out the chorus with as much foundation as any hook playing on the radio today, all while being trailed by a soothing acoustic undercurrent and a small hook of an electric guitar loop. The lyrics also range from affirmation to worship to declarations of happy moments. "All Deliberate Speed" is a number heavyhanded on blossoming guitar strings that evolve in fast motion. And you walk away from the song full minus any guilt from overeating. "Sun" is the vocal equivalent of that perfect summer day where the sun isn't overbearing and a cool breeze occasionally pets you skin. The iconic sun is subtle keyboard notes and delicate guitar strings, and the small dose of frigid air is the chorus that isn't too abrupt to disturb your nap on the sun soaked deck (Don't be jealous, I'm not talking from personal accommodations).
While the quaint moments are enjoyable for deserved lounging, the album really peaks in the second half. Those shoulders soon tire from being so light and proper, and the succesive exhale is "Last Call" If the first part of the album was about contemplating and subtly passing down wisdom and stories, the final half is the rendition of those tales. "Last Call" plays like a trainwreck between boisterous and cheap punk, and Dave controls the environment with a veteran's smoothness, giving anybody who listens to it, in need of one, a perk. If you like your life to live like a movie, then "Skyline Drive" is the song you want playing while you and your lover are parked on a hill, contemplating life, love and each other. The strings melt seamlessly with that aura that sweats out of most ballads, and the simplistic drum that pops up halfway through the song brings with it a dip of reality.
"Soundtrack For Our Movie" is an album highlight. There is an entertaining dual between the guy behind the keys and the guy manning the lively guitar in this one, as they both attempt to play a circle of notes as fast and as hook-birthing as possible. A spunky synth trail only brightens the landscape. "Summertime" It's not a song that would land on radio and define this season's music scene for '03 (The year this LP was released), but the cabin fever Dave finally gets cured of when the season comes for cars to drop their tops and girls to drop most everything else, is elevating. "Giving It Away," despite being the second to last wave instead of the final one it acts like, soothes listeners with reassuring lyrics and an, at first, tranquial setting. In contrast, album finale "Goodbye, Goodnight" chooses to aim for one last hurrah instead of a prolonged hug as the form of farewell. The song itself slowly evolves from potential with upstart guitar riffs to reflection and heartbreak, with fast-paced but steel-stringed sound waves eventually to resolution in the form of a guitar outbreak and eventually audio silence.
There is a certain subtlety to this album. It doesn't immediately grab you and make you unable to forget it like your latest crush for weeks at a time. It instead molds an artificial kind of relationship with you the first couple times you listen to it, and then you pay more attention the next time through because you care about it more then you did when you knew it simply as a 'You must be this person's friend to view their profile' life quote and default pic. So, if you want something infectious that will keep you coming back for more, and not because you just have to hear that glinting hook one more time before you die, I can't think of a more perfect product for you then Mae's 2003 debut. Don't miss it, or their junior album, "Singularity," posied for a mid-August street date.
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