Maplewood - Maplewood (CD)

All Music Guide

Maplewood is a lowkey indie rock supergroup with members of Champale, Koester, Cub Country,and Nada Surf gathered together in the spirit of 70's canyon rock. Their selftitled debut brings back hazy memories of groups like America, Bread and CSNY. The kind of groups who always seemed ready to break out their acoustic guitars and seranade the sweet hippie chicks around campfires and in hazy bars with heartfelt lead vocals and harmonies, ringing openchord strumming, lazy tempos and occasional pedal steel for added melancholy. There are also echoes of more modern bands like REM on "Darlene," Lambchop on "Bright Eyes" and Teenage Fanclub on the chiming "Morning Star". The spirit of Matthew Sweet also hovers over the proceedings as he's been treading these light rock boards for quite a while. So there you have all the influences and connections, all of which doesn't mean much if Maplewood can't deliver the songs. Luckily, they do. Tunes like "Indian Summer," "Little Dreamer Girl" and the qui...et epic "Desert Queen" sound like they were taken right of a Time/Life Sounds of the 70's comp. The rest are solid and memorable too. They escape being mere revivalists by investing their hearts into the material, there is no winking or obvious lifting of melodies. They create the feel of the sensitive California 70's with an easy, sweet manner and plenty of laidback soul. Not bad for a bunch of shorthaired, East Coast fellas. Line them up next to the lovely Autumn Defense and let the 70's begin again. - Tim Sendra, All Music Guide Read more Less