Maps For Travelers
Change Your Name
Reviewed by: Stephen Krock
Maps For Travelers explodes on the scene with their debut album, Change Your Name. Quite literally. The throbbing guitar riffs and hardcore screamo vocals are nothing short of volcanic. It’s an assault on the senses, in both the best and worst way possible. If you’re in the market for shattered ear drums, and many of us are, then Maps has plenty to offer. But those looking for straight up rock would find the assault just that. An assault.
I spent most of Change Your Name worrying whether or not the lead singer had a bags of Halls handy, but the band knows how to keep things dynamic. For the most part. The track “Matter of Time” is a good example of Maps at their best. Screaming and surging through the hypothetical fray, but knowing when to pull it back before slingshotting up and out again.
Most surprising, however, is the closing track, “They’re Learning Fast,” which employs subtle piano, horns, and hypnotic, subdued, chanting vocals. It proves they’ve got the goods. If only those goods would permeate the rest of the album.
Rating: Semi-obnoxious
