What is interesting yet unfortunate about this latest album from Maybeshewill is that they have literally decided to scrap everything they have done previously and start all over again. Interesting in theory but unfortunately the record seems to be a collection of tracks which bleed on from one another. This is something that many band’s suffer from, especially instrumental bands, but it was something that Maybeshewill had avoided until now. However, the record is apparently intended as a soundtrack for an “as yet unimagined” film so once accompanied with that, it could turn out to be utterly mindblowing.
‘Opening’ starts off the record with two minutes of intricate piano and a heavenly choir before leading into the distortion heavy ‘Take This To Heart’, carried by strings and minimalist piano melodies which transcends into a spacey synth as the strings and guitars come together, building up to a dramatic end. ‘Red Paper Lanterns’ is a soft, light piece with twinkling guitars, shimmering glocks and breathy synth. I’m not sure why but it made me think of some sort of futuristic Japanese rainfall. As mentioned, the record is supposed to be like a movie soundtrack and this is evident in tracks such as ‘Accolades’, ‘An End To Camaraderie’ and ‘Relative Minors’ with their dramatic highs and lows through the clever use of guitar distortion and programmed synths and piano. The album ends with ‘To The Skies, From A Hillside’, a track which stands out from the rest, sounding more like their previous work yet still with that signature epic movie soundtrack vibe.
Let’s hope one day that “as yet unimagined” film will become a reality one day because if the soundtrack is anything to go by, it’s bound to be one pretty awesome movie.
