Two Rings, one Plan and a helluva second turn
Maritime - We, The Vehicles Editorial Intern on 5/24/06 @ 3:06 PM
[5/5] The ghosts of old bands hung all over Maritime's 2004 debut,
Glass Floor, and rightly so: Singer/guitarist Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier played in the wildly popular Promise Ring, and bassist Eric Axelson played in the should've-been-wildly huge Dismemberment Plan. From the start, Maritime have clearly been focused on a different, if not exactly alien, kind of pop-rock--one that ditched the guitar-fueled bombast of the members' former bands for something more refined and--gasp!--mature. And while Glass Floor showed Maritime feeling out their new sound,
We, The Vehicles shows them mastering it: The album's 11 tracks nicely mix the bouncy rock vibes of the Plan and the Ring with the songwriting smarts that come from doing this sort of thing for a really long time. The songs are mature but not boring; nicely layered but not overproduced; well executed but not sterile. It seems like a big balancing act, but Maritime make it look effortless.
(FLAMESHOVEL) Kyle Ryan
Official Website: http://www.flameshovel.com
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