Mae - "Boomerang" (2009)

It’s been six years since Mae released their debut album Destination: Beautiful on Tooth & Nail. I’ve been hooked on them ever since hearing “Summertime” all those years ago. Since that time Mae has released two other records. In my meaningless opinion, their sophomore release The Everglow will go down as one of the top ten albums of this decade. It’s nearly flawless in execution, with each song perfectly placed in sequence and balancing equal parts rock and pop. Mae had a slight misstep in 2007 with their third album and major label debut, Singularity. It was their first album for Capitol Records and the band went for more of a radio ready rock sound. It was by no means a bad album, but it fell short of the greatness that longtime Mae fans knew they were capable of. Shortly after the release of Singularity, the band parted ways with two of its founding members, bassist Mark Padgett and keyboardist Rob Sweitzer. In 2008, Mae split with Capitol and are now forging ahead as three piece with no label and a new direction. At the end of last year the band self released a DVD documenting the five year anniversary of the release of Destination: Beautiful along with a new recording of “Embers and Envelopes.” The band also announced an ambitious plan: to release one new song every month of 2009 and allow fans to pay what they want, with all proceeds going to charity. Since January 1st, the band has raised over $12,000 for Habitat for Humanity to benefit a family from their area of Virginia. The current project is just the beginning. The band plans to fund other endeavors as the year progresses. You can read all about their plans here. In addition to releasing the songs online one at time, Mae plans to release 3 EPs throughout the year. They will be titled (M)orning, (A)fternoon, and (E)vening, each containing four songs. It’s an ambitious and unique way to go about getting music directly to fans, without label interference. As for the music, I must say I’ve been impressed with the two songs Mae has released so far. The first song, “The House That Fire Built” harkens back to elements of the old Mae that were missing on Singularity. Lyrically the song is one of their most hopeful, all about starting over again and being better than before. “Boomerang” was their release for February and while it is guitar heavy, it’s also one of their more pop oriented tracks with great melodies and even a little saxophone in the breakdown, but not in a bad way at all. Both songs can be downloaded at whatismae.com. In the changing landscape of the music industry, Mae are making their own way and proving that a band that has worked hard to build a loyal fan base and continues to release quality music can make it without a label. They are kicking off their spring tour in April, so be sure to catch them if they come near you. You won’t be disappointed.


Mae - "Boomerang"