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new reviews for our recently released second album "The Wick and The Fire" keep popping up on the internet, so i compiled some of the best old/new reviews i found. thanks to those who took the time to listen and review our record and a special thanks to anyone who is reading this, picked up a copy of the album or even just stopped by our page and checked out a couple songs. take care for now.
Chris/MAPS
Nashville Scene 4/3/08
Reviewed by: Steve Haruch
Local instrumental outfit MAPS return with a solid new album, The Wick and the Fire, a more muscular and varied follow-up to their heavily Mogwai-influenced debut. The group is adept at channeling their influences (Don Caballero and other post-rock staples among them), but their latest effort not only has upped the energy but also adds a spooky, rumbling depth—in the form of some filthy-in-the-best-way organ tones—to the odd time signatures and slinking guitar lines. The band is at its best when tugging at the boundaries of a style that had a good run in the late '90s only to seemingly run out of ideas. When MAPS keep things fresh, they do more with that era's torch than just carry it.
AbsolutePunk.net - 4/23/08
Reviewed by: Kyle.Shaffer
Score: 85 out of 100
If it strikes you as odd that an instrumental, experimental-rock group would spring from the capital of country music, consider yourself in good company. With two of the genre's heaviest hitters, Russian Circles and Pelican, operating out of Chicago, the eye of the scene has no doubt been focused there. And while Nashville natives Maps have obviously taken cues from their neighbors to the north, they also convincingly pay homage to math-rock pioneers like Faraquet and Don Caballero. These gents have done their homework and conduct an assault on the ears and the mind with The Wick and the Fire.
Obscure song titles aside, Maps deliver direct, heady compositions that exude a high caliber of musicianship without sounding longwinded or overindulgent. While this record is ripe with twisting meters and anthemic guitar lines, the focus remains on songwriting. It's technical without being proggy, and strangely concise as in the fiery opener "Failure of Constancy" which clocks in at under two minutes. Surprise influences like Pele seep through the melodic opening of "Ambuscade" before guitars reminiscent of the D.C. post-punk scene cut to the forefront over a solid foundation of drums and bass.
Where their windy city brethren opt for brooding heaviness, Maps more often convey a noisy hopefulness as in "Reverse Telescope", a tune that fades in and out of noodley tapping parts via guitarists Taylor Franks and Pete Kron before sinking into the feel-good riff of the record. "Breathing Water" finds the group falling in line behind Chris Vicari's driving drums, which provide a trampoline for the rest of the song to ricochet from into a constant, ambient pulse. The quartet provides listeners with a brief rest-stop with the reflective "Spread My Love With a Knife" before launching into the eerier territory of songs like "The Alchemy of Economy".
Even the laughably named "Party Hats and Attitude" proves a rewarding listen in its wandering guitar lines, sprinkled occasionally by accenting chords and rhythmic stops. Ever melodic, the song comes to a celebration of sorts before its curt exit. Within the last two songs of the record, the band manages to explore unexpected territory in the groove-centered "My Desire to be Napoleon". Closer "Synergy" functions somewhat as an appropriate amalgamation of all the record's most important attributes: ambience, intricacy, and sensibility.
It's true that a band like Maps may get lost in the mix of a genre filled with so many giants. But that fact makes a record like The Wick and the Fire all the more ambitious. Though their older contemporaries may get a bit gloomy comparatively, these four sonically strive for something a bit more uplifting. Maps' latest release shows a band well versed in the school of post-rock, bravely projecting its own thoughts on a tradition that deserves to be challenged by such a bright, talented band.
**Recommended If You Like: Russian Circles, Pelican, Faraquet, Don Caballero**
AMPLIFIER MAGAZINE.COM REVIEW May 19, 2008
Reviewed by: Adam Newton
If there is anything that has been forgotten in the whirlwind atmospherics of the instrumental post-rock milieu, it's that there are times when genres can be of benefit. For better or for worse, it seems that all the lines have been blurred beyond recognition, leaving both critics and fans of music to wonder just what there is left to deconstruct (and hopefully reconstruct). From rock to pop, from metal to punk, there are so few stones left to turn in the nearly endless amalgamation of types, styles, motifs, and sub-genres that have come to serve as the (anti-) definition of post-rock. Yet for all of the attempts to move past commonly accepted notions of song structure, a pattern still has emerged: remove the lyrics (most of the time); construct some intricately swirling guitar lines; include some syncopated drum patterns; and develop a strong sense of dynamics (the bigger the crescendos, the deeper the troughs of quiet).
Nevertheless, for all of the intentional genre confusion that exists, there are occasions when the sound just works, when everything falls into place, and the songs actually reveal themselves to be more than extended jam sessions amongst some friends. And with the release of their excellent sophomore full-length, The Wick and the Fire, Maps can stake a strong claim to a place in the post-rock pantheon. Brimming with intensity, passion, and some killer "lead-lines-as-the-lyrics" guitar work, this record sets itself apart from the masses in that, while the expected components are present, they're tweaked, strengthened, and given fresh legs. True to their name, this band possesses a direction and focus often not found in their contemporaries: with each song, Maps has the destination in sight and looks forward to bringing the listener along on their journey. Maybe it's their attempt at (relative) brevity in comparison to like-minded acts, but there's something refreshing and satisfying with this band's material, as made evident on tracks like "The Words Will Grow," "Reverse Telescope," and "My Desire to be Napoleon." There's a certain sexy swagger to Maps' pop sensibilities - though the genre-blurring still takes place, there's cohesion on The Wick and the Fire that more bands should seek to emulate.
The Deli Magazine – Nashville (Published 6/30/08)
Reviewed by: Jason Goucher
With an EP and a full-length already on their resume, Nashville instrumental rock band MAPS officially released their second LP The Wick and the Fire on June 10. Leaving behind the ambient sounds that are all too common on post rock records these days, MAPS has made a challenging and technically superb rock album. The songs almost dare the listener to get comfortable and settled into a part before violently changing into the next progression. The guitarists of MAPS, Pete Kron and Taylor Franks, play brilliantly off one another throughout the album. Making sure no one ventures to far off course is the precise rhythm section of Chris Vicari on drums and Jon Lee on bass.
The album opens with "Failure of Constancy." Even though it clocks in at under two minutes, the track somehow manages to provide a blueprint for the heavy, melodic sound that is contained within the rest of the The Wick and the Fire. A seemingly innocent, jangly melody on the track "Ambuscade" turns without warning into crunchy chords and a finely executed ending featuring guitars that scream at you through the speakers. The album closes with "Synergy," a song that allows you to come back to solid ground after an amazing journey through the record.
In a city dominated with country and pop music, it is with open arms I welcome MAPS into my stereo. They have made a stunning post-rock album that keeps in mind that songwriting is just as important, if not more so, than ambience. The Wick and the Fire is a triumphant reminder that sometimes no voice at all can speak much louder than someone screaming. **Highly recommended for fans of Faraquet, Minus The Bear and Explosions In The Sky.**
Indie Vision Music - 9/2/2008
Reviewed by: Eric Pettersson
Score 8 out of 10
With so many bands out there by the name of Maps, I wasn't sure which this one was and came into it expecting to hear the one with the soft shoe-gazer indie sound with the girl singer, but apparently I was wrong. This Maps is actually the experimental instrumental alternative rock machine. And for being the Maps that lead in that direction, I must say they definitely do their job of showing me how to get to their destination.
I'm gonna be honest. If you take the basic emo/indie/punk/alternative rock sound (the edgier side, a la Taking Back Sunday, Rise Against, Modest Mouse, etc) and strip it of the vocals, you've taken away a major component and the music is going to be a lot less exciting and a lot less moving. But somehow Maps pulls it off. These jams will get you excited and they will move you. The energy in the rocking tracks like "Ambuscade" is enough to get your head bobbing with or without a singer. Perhaps this is because there are enough guitars playing that one of them can function in the lead role the vocals play in other bands, even in addition to the regular lead guitar. And if that sounds like way too much guitar for you, don't worry. The melodic and intricately weaved guitar lines of "The Words Will Grow" prove that this isn't just a mess of instruments thrown together. Each part has a purpose, and each one works with, not on top of, the others.
4:35 AM
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