Cougar Microbes

I sing in the shower. Probably more than most. I’ve probably got a repetoire long enough to do a live set of covers for a small but enthusiastic audience; albiet naked, red, and wet. I’m also quite a music snob when it comes to my shower singing Madison Square Garden show supported by Creedance Clearwater Revival. I’ll only open with classic rock songs of the 70′s for example. I’ll get to the point shall I?

A couple of days ago I heard ‘It’s Casual‘ by Maritime and it’s sneaked it’s way straight in the set without me even knowing. It’s enchanting dirty guitar melodies and emotionally delivered bare hooks must have taken a hold somewhere between ‘Sympathy For The Devil‘ and ‘Bobby Jean‘.

The whole record has a fantastic dirty smear below it’s sweet synthesized pop haze and this is probably best evoked in Paraphanalia, the first single from Maritime‘s 4th album ‘Human Hearts‘ recently realeased through Dangerbird. It’s the musical equivilant of a Morlock snatching an Eloy from it’s utopia. A definite solemn under tone behind a statueesque form.

I mention ‘It’s Casual‘ primarily because of the length and quality of it. This is a band who know not only how to deliver a perfect short prologue to their ten song album but to deliver ten songs that could easily be an enthralling and energetic set in it’s existing order.

Mature and creative, Maritime never get carried away with indulgant mid-song cacophonies nor over complicated guitar lines yet it never feels as if they are holding back. ‘Faint Of Hearts‘ with it’s ‘Shadows‘-like riff and ‘Out Numbering‘ with it’s heart breakingly sweet chorus are both great examples of this quality songsmithery, lieing somewhere between New Order and The Boxer Rebellion but more concise. Maritime say in three minutes what it takes other bands nearly five minutes to get across.

‘Air Arizona‘ is the prettiest song on the album. Never sounding cheesey or too crowded in sounds, it rises and falls delicately like ascending through a sunset cloud bank, whilst the darker and dirtier ‘Black Bones‘ drifts nervously like a small boat in a storm.

Maritime have a terrifically enduring sound and they will be thoroughly deserving of big venue in the not too distant future. All they would be missing at Madison Square Garden would be a wailing, wet, semi-bearded man singing in the background in the form of me performing guest vocals on ‘It’s Casual‘.

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Post by T.R Wicks

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TRACKS:

School Of Seven Bells are a band you must hear. Despite hailing from Brooklyn, the bands sound could easily be linked up with a series of minimalist electronica act gracing Northern Europe at the moment. A listen to their 2008 debut ‘Alpinisms’ evokes the glacial scenery of British duo Goldfrapp, the detached danceability of New Order’s and the emotional delivery and production values of Bat For Lashes.

What makes SVIIB unique is the combination of intricate melodies provided by the Deheza sisters and dashed sparingly across the tracks. ‘Alpinisms’ is an album that is representative of vast melodic landscapes rather than individual tracks and single material.

There is a feeling that the song writing process must have occurred in very organic fashion with the band not over elaborating and obsessing over their ideas so as to avoid diverting too far from their raw sketches. In contrast a lot of attention has been devoted to the production values of the album to excellent results.

In anticipation of their new album ‘Disconnect From Desire’ (due in 2010) the band released ‘The Deluxe Edition’ of ‘Alpinisms’ last month. This is a it is a good window into the bands thought process covering the original 11 tracks plus an additional 9 tracks that include alternate versions, new mixes and a live cut. It also helps to explain why Ben Curtis was both eager and willing to forsake Secret Machines to work on this exciting project.

TRACK:

School Of Seven Bells – Iamundernodisguise