Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 8.0
Production: 8.0
Originality: 8.0
Tracklisting
2. All Deliberate Speed
3. Runaway
4. Embers and Envelopes
5. Sun
6. Last Call
7. Skyline Drive
8. Soundtrack For Our Movie
9. Summertime
10. Giving It Away
11. Goodbye, Goodnight
Mae is one of those bands who just are inherently gifted with music. After getting signed to Tooth and Nail, an insanely great label all around (distribution, advertising, media, marketing, all that) they recorded this debut LP that sounds utterly amazing. Smooth, layered songs with the occassional piano, moog, and often intermittent acoustic guitar construct the 11 well-crafted songs on the disc.
Opening with a bouncy guitar riff and strumming of chords, This Time Is the Last Time shows the band's affinty for crescendos and buildups. The singer's voice stays smooth and composed, even as he "yells" "somehow make it through!!" Long-time fans of the scene will hear the band Astoria (RIP) in the vocals and Jimmy Eat World's Clarity in the instrumentation. Imagine a somewhat calmer, smoother Clarity (if that's possible) and you get Mae; great composition and layered guitars that blend perfectly.
That's not to say the CD does have a few less-interesting songs, such as the slow, vibraphone-driven Skyline Drive, which lacks the punch found in songs like Last Call or the Before Braille smasher, Summertime. Still, these simply priceless tunes exhibit nothing but sheer enjoyability, and the Jimmy Eat World influence is huge. I love the maturity of Mae's debut release, and am sure that anyone who knows their music will call Clarity the predecessor to this disc.