Beware and Be Grateful is the second full length offering from the Chicago quartet, Maps and Atlases. Following on from 2010′s Perch Patchwork, the new album sees the group continue their math-rock tinged ode to world rhythm, whilst developing and maturing into a tight and accessible pop band.
Constantly moving forward and successfully developing a sound which has neatly placed them between an eclectic mix of Yeasayer and Vampire Weekend. Maps and Atlases have never been afraid to embrace the pop banner and as lead singer Dave Davison explains, the songs on Beware and Be Grateful were written and produced in such a way that the process came as a natural progression from their debut album.
“I think that we tried extra hard to pay attention to the instincts of each song. We tried to let them unfold themselves and see what each song was doing and then run with that.” Says Davison. “I think we also embraced a sense of looseness with these songs. We let them run wild a little instead of trying to tie them up nicely.”
It is this looseness that makes BaBG different from the bands previous releases. Whereas the prescriptive and intricate nature of math-rock played an important role in the groups earlier EP’s; Trees, Swallows, Houses (2007) and You and Me and the Mountain (2008). Maps and Atlases have made a valid attempt to move on, and it is a credit to their musicianship that the new album never tires or becomes boring to the listener.
Opening track Old and Grey is a restrained beginning, slowly building the instrumental layers and vocals that are at the heart of the Maps and Atlases sound. Breaking down to a simple guitar line, the final third of the song is haunted by Davison’s baritone howl of ‘When you are old and grey…I hope that someone holds you’. Accompanied by a crescendo of keys and strings, the frontman’s voice has never sounded stronger.
If fluidity is what the group were looking for, it is exactly what they have got. The tracks seamlessly overlap, wearing their pop-credentials for all to see. With no air of hipster pretension, but enough quality to still attract the muso illuminati, the first quarter of BaBG races by, with Fever and Winter clearly likely to be dance-floor favourites come the albums spring release.
Maps & Atlases – Winter
Remote and Dark Years is once again another break in tempo, beautifully showcasing not only the vocals but the quality of the rest of the band. An example of how the group has matured over the years, where once tracks were busy with layer-upon-layer of busy guitar and backing vocals, as Maps and Atlases strip back the over zealous production of old, we start to hear some of their best and most heartfelt work to date.
Silver Self and Vampires at the centrepiece of the record is unmistakably Maps and Atlases, but rather than over complicated instrumental lines, the bass, drums and indeed vocals, all work as a balanced unit. It is pretty much the same for the final part of the album, with Be Three Years old, Bugs and Old Ash, simultaneously moulding the old with the new and dare I say it, leaning towards a small smattering of alt-folk influence with the wonderful album closer, Important.
A fun and well produced album, Maps and Atlases’ sophomore release is their most coherent body of work to date and though not available until April, it could prove just the ticket to jettison away any winter blues you may still be harbouring.
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