A Distorted Reality.

This, kind reader, is beyond overdue: I have long been enamoured by the music of the Leicester-based Maybeshewill, and this album has been available for rather a long time now, and it’s gotten a lot of positive press from media outlets far greater in scope than this one. However, this time has done very little to dull my passions for this masterful piece of music artistry, and so this will be written and published, regardless of it being akin to our little fish playing in the realms of the sharks and whales.

There is something beautiful about bands which can (at least) claim to have a diverse range of influences, no matter how far from the truth that statement may be; and with Maybeshewill, I’m not even sure if ‘varied’ is a strong enough word to define their vast array of musical tastes. They draw parallels between the aggressive likes of Envy, Botch and Isis and the more laid-back likes of Radiohead and the Postal Service. On paper alone, this combination of influences meshed together may seem like an effort fraught with an inherent element of overambition, if not sheer impracticality; but in its practice, it is the best elements of all of the above in a package of divine execution and wonderfully displayed musicianship.

Ixnay on the Autoplay starts the album in a relaxed, synth-y manner reminiscent of Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia: it’s one minute, forty-two seconds of keyboard work, leading into a pattern of a synthesised drumbeat. Seraphim and Cherubim, our track two, practically demolishes any predictions made as to the direction of the album to come from Ixnay through its immediate change to ‘real’ drums and a treble-heavy tremolo-picked guitar part screaming of Red Sparowes; as well as a later, heavier guitar riff being a passing nod to certain members of that band’s previous incarnation in Isis. Instrumentation remains tight, with keys, guitar, drums and whatever other synthesised sounds that they may be using blending, intertwining and supporting one another to produce a rich texture.

The Paris Hilton sex tape is thoroughly disappointing; Maybeshewill’s The Paris Hilton Sex Tape, however is a musical tour de force, with Mineral-esque hypnotic trebly guitar riffs paving the way for chugging basslines and guitar chord progressions. The drumming ability of the band is plainly demonstrated through the reduction of the song from full-band to mere drum and bass skeleton at around a minute into the song. Once again, keys compliment pounding guitar riffs in a manner incomprehensible but still amazingly simple, akin to most human expression: this is a perfect example of the emotion which can be expressed through instrumentation alone, without the pained whinings of a vocalist over it. I’m in Awe, Amadeus is a showcase of drumming ability from its start, with the fast-paced playing accompanying an endlessly falling-and-rising guitar line to the introduction of a key solo and then a more rhythmic guitar line.

We Called for An Ambulance but A Fire Engine Came demonstrates the band’s more post-metal side, with acute guitar highs meeting with obtuse guitar lows to form an all-around accessible outcome. After around a minute, this initial energy of chugging guitars and pounding drums descends into a sustained guitar chord gently fading and a key and synthesiser dream-like sequence. It’s ethereal beauty in simplicity is interrupted shortly after by a more electronic drumbeat and that wonderful rhythm guitar tone them seem to have created for themselves. Heartflusters is the first showing of the band’s vocal intentions, and it has to be said that they aren’t amongst the best of all bands: unfortunately, it does seem whiny above the delicate (and oh-so delicious) synth beats below. In fact, at three minutes in, there is a godly breakdown into a glitchy drumbeat, the likes of which I have not seen demonstrated better by even the venerable 65daysofstatic.

C.N.T.R.C.K.T is an immediate, bouncy, energy filled track which plods along by sheer virtue of its own will, it would seem from its insistent rhythm. He Films The Clouds Pt. 2 could be used as a definition for the concept of mixing delicacy with beats which could only be described well as either ‘tasty’ or ‘harsh’. Piano and strings meet with the technical drumming which has underpinned so much of this album so far in a manner bordering upon the symbiotic. The vocals which come later on in this track are wonderful, especially compared to the disappointment of those earlier, given their build up to that point. From the sole female voice to the full chant over that wonderful glitchy drum sound, the vocals are well balance and well executed in terms of tone and texture.

Not for Want of Trying, as well as being the title track, is the only song on the album I can even venture at the concept behind: the sampling of the 1976 film Network points at an acute socioeconomic awareness: Maybeshewill knows about our global recession. Musically, it is demonstrative of their dichotomic, loud-soft dynamic usage of their keys and guitars separately and is a constant ascent and descent rollercoaster of musical amazement. Takotsubo rounds the album off quite nicely much in the way that it started: delicacy once again is the order here.

This band is a revelation for the West Midlands area: they experiment with sounds that other local bands seem to be afraid to. We have glitching, chanting and piano solos all one album, and that is an achievement sofar as demonstration of diversity in music is concerned. It’s a wonderful combination of the best elements of post-rock (like Envy’s Chain Wandering Deeply), experimental electronic music (just think Aphex Twin) and even hardcore in some of the chord progressions and harmonic usage (think pageninetynine). All in all, this album demonstrates music visionaries in the early stages of what I hope to be a long career. If the sound can evolve from the originality which it already displays, I can see no upper bound for the potential of this band.