This, the debut album of Falling Off Maps, shows a fine sense of the epic which is sorely lacking in so many modern albums. It starts off all slow and cool and has grown on you before you know it. In fact, not since The Cure in their Disintegration heyday have a band used sonic parameters so grandly. It is as though this is the only chance they will get to make an album and so they Re damned well going to make the most of it. It begins with ‘We Are Here’, a kaleidoscope of harmonies and slowly, subtly, filtering electronics which permeates the eardrums softly at first and before you know it, you’re doing the harmonies with them, surely one of the strongest signs that this is an album which has got to you and is here to stay.
Everything is taken at a leisurely pace, so it can settle in to you. Curiously though, no song ever outstays it’s welcome, which gives each a chance to breath and establish its own identity. Again, There are many more established bands out there who would do well to learn this lesson. While, a la R.E.M., the lyrics take a while to filter through this sonic fog, when they do, they relate simple tales of loves wanted, won and lost. These are the sort of things which will affect their audience and they know it.
The songs are played simply, most are, when you get to the heart of the record, very acoustic. String arrangements are used sparingly throughout and when they come in, they are superb, lifting both the songs and your heart. This makes the album emotional without being whiny and inflated without being bloated. There are no grandstanding moments, merely emotions related on a grand scale which carry us along in their sweep.
The band themselves have referred to this as a cinematic album and it is easy to see why. It is easy to imagine songs such as Through The Forest featuring in Hollywood movies, perhaps some yet to come prestige romantic drama, starring Julia Roberts and cutting in just as the gut wrenching central crisis/decision/main event of the film starts happening and lifting it just that little bit higher in the audience opinion stakes. It would certainly be a worthwhile addition.
To sum up then, this is an album that really makes you want to live with it. Every track has it’s own distinct personality and is a little spot of sunshine which will lighten up winter and spread onto your heart. This is the kind of album you really want to be released in a month such as January, as it will lift you well and truly out of the post-Xmas graveyard shift. Make it one of your New Year Resolutions to buy it, then go out and spread the word. That way, these guys will get the audiences they deserve and we’ll get to hear more from them.
RT @TheShyRetirers: Is This Music?: Falling Off Maps – http://t.co/z3j3OgURJU