This week's Album of the Week comes from Maybird, a psych-folk act from Rochester... It almost pains me to describe music with such obscure terms, but even a cursory listen to any of their songs could tell you that these musicians specialize in spaced-out, woozy soundscapes. Think equal parts Flaming Lips, Fleet Foxes, The Beatles, MGMT, and Band of Horses. Despite being a highly synthesized, well-polished album, Maybird's music has a very "vintage" feel. Their new album, Down & Under, is nine songs worth of spacey folk-rock chock full of unique instrumental flourishes.
One of the standout tracks is album opener "Nocturne," mixing Beatles-eque vocals with psychedelic indie-rock riffs. I can't always tell if Maybird owes more to synth-pop contemporaries or to bands like The Beatles. It is pretty obvious that many of the songs on Down & Under were inspired by bands from the 60s/70s - even without the vintage organs and jangly guitars, the melodies and instrumentation (like those found all throughout "Nocturne") are simple and pop-inspired like something you'd expect from a British Invasion band.
Even the slightly-reggae tinged "Maybird" is full of wah-wah bliss... This was my personal favorite track on Down & Under - "Maybird" perfectly capsulizes everything important about the band, making it the perfect namesake. Behind the laid-back, vintage veneer, beautiful orchestral pads, oceans of delay, and fuzzy synth lines fill out the background. As it progresses, the song continues to add layer after layer of noise until it starts to twist upon itself. It eventually becomes a wall of noise, far different from its fairly calm origins. This is the true genius of Maybird - something initially so soothing becomes something cacophonous without losing its identity.
I may have already implied this, but the aspect I enjoyed most about Down & Under is Maybird's talent for blending unrelated genres and technologies. Many of these songs are packed with traditionally acoustic instruments, but songs like "Two Horizons" are predominantly composed of layers of lush synth pads. There is a strange symbiosis on Down & Under that exists between the chill synth-y electronica and the down-home, South Carolina flavor of sleepy slide guitar riffs and twangy electric guitar solos. Take the end of "Beautiful World" - the song devolves beautifully into a twangy dirge, but it owes just as much of its beauty to a layer of synthesized ambience that never really fades.
Somehow songs like "Call You Mine" mix club-inspired beats with more traditional sounding instruments - in this case, a sitar. I don't usually do well with long songs, but I made a promise to myself to listen all the way through the eleven minute title-track and album ender. I was treated to a beautiful accordion-laced song that demonstrated Maybird's talent for dynamics. The song ebbed and flowed, and I have to say, I'm not sure I have ever once felt confident enough to say that an accordion was my favorite part of a song before.
Check out the music video for "Call You Mine" below.
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