Beware and be Grateful/Children of Desire

Beware and be Grateful - Maps & Atlases (Barsuk, 2012)
Admittedly, I miss the old noodly math pop days of Chicago's Maps & Atlases. However, the band's latest and second full length for Barsuk is a vast improvement on 2010's decent Perch Patchwork. Instead of the complex folk stylings that found their way on that album, Beware and be Grateful showcases an interesting yet more straightforward level of pop sensibility than the band is known for. There have always been poppy elements to Maps & Atlases' songs, but never so blatant than here. The band seems to have ditched the finger-tapping, intricate finger-picking, off-kilter rhythms and completely insane drumming, for the most part. These details have been substituted for almost Vampire Weekend-esque tropical beats and rhythms and huge 80s-style production. At times it goes a little too far, and surely Dave Davison's vocals can get a little annoying, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I still enjoy their songs, even if they've strayed so far from what I originally liked about them. There are enough neat little tracks and outright brilliant moments to keep this band relavent in my heart. "Silver Self" and "Old Ash" are the best examples of why.


Children of Desire - Merchandise (Katorga, 2012)
For only being a six-song LP, Tampa's Merchandise nail it on Children of Desire, which features noisy, hazy goth pop tunes, two of which are 10 minutes long, and completely digestible. This is the most Captured Tracks-sounding album that hasn't been released by Captured Tracks yet. Reverb and chorus guitars that are sometimes distorted, driving, high-end bass, drum machine, and a vocalist that sounds like a cross between Morrissey and Stephin Merritt. These songs are dramatic, but in an awesome, subtle, 80s goth way. There's an element of despair in these soundscapes, but these are bouncy pop songs too. Children of Desire is excellent, and if you've been digging on so many of the Captured Tracks bands like I've been, then this is right up your alley. "Time" is the jam that hooked me.