Kid Icarus - Maps of the Saints

All Music Guide

Recorded back in 1998 and 1999, Maps Of The Saints actually wound up following Kid Icarus' first proper album, 2002's Be My Echo. Tracked in Eric Schlittler's bedroom, this oneman band named after an antiquated Nintendo game reveals a number of influences in its infancy, including obvious touchstones like the Beatles and Robyn Hitchcock. Still, Schlittler's biggest musical devotion is to Guided By Voices, as the charming lofi vibe of both “Laughing Skeletons" and “Bicycle Spokes" affirm. Edgy and flooded with distortion, the latter sounds derived from GBV's “Kicker of Elves." Elsewhere, Kid Icarus is a gifted purveyor of acousticbased rock, be it topnotch ballads like “Firecracker Girls" or the echoed, fourtrack trickery of “Matchsticks Dance." Closing out Maps Of The Saints with “Pieces On A Board," Schlittler merges his acoustic and electric leanings with excellent results.

- John D. Luerssen, All Music Guide