'Trees, Swallows, Houses'
Maps And Atlases is a Chicago band in that the band members live and collaborate in Chicago, but the sound of the band lends nothing to the location from which the band was spawned. Likening a band to the region from which they live can be self-defeating, especially in concern to a band such as Maps And Atlases, which takes the 'music attached to a scene' book and throws it straight out the window. On Maps And Atlases first release, the band finds themselves adding, subtracting and multiplying their intricate brand of frantic math rock. I know, that's horrible (sorry Maps and Atlases members....) Anyway, I hate using one-sheets for reference, but they come pretty damn close with describing the sound of Maps and Atlases here (Don Caballero meets Hella), so I'll run with that and give credit where credit is due. Maps and Atlases lyric-writing style incorporates a style made famous by Objectivist poets known as Exquisite Corpse. What that means is that the band's two lyric writers build a concept writing in tandem, taking turns line by line. The resulting lyrics offer a vibrant glimpse behind the many forces at work within Maps and Atlases, while the percussive and rhythmic intricacies of Maps and Atlases music anchors the band to a goal, and never a region, which is ironic considering the band's name.
I'll shut up now. It's been a long day....
