Mae - Multisensory Aesthetic Experience (November 30, 2018) Album • Page 4

•r/MaeTheBand

 

Okay, so I finally got around to listening to this after feeling a little disappointed by each song that I had heard previously (Sing, The Overview, and maybe another). I find the direction they chose to go with really interesting, so I think it has the potential to grow on me. I know I can only ever see it as a good album at best, but never a great album.

I have to say there's very few songs that I like every aspect of... Really though, in nearly every song there's a least one part that bothers me enough for me to not be fully on board with it. I just don't feel like all the elements in the songs really fit together. But there's also songs like No Promises that are very solid, mostly. Just the beginning bit was weird and out of place. Or Our Love is a Painted Picture, where the end was weak compared to the song as a whole. Makes me miss using iTunes where I could cut songs. Let It Die and Simple Words I will probably play quite a bit though.

I wouldn't mind if they continued this sound, just a much more refined version.

 

What do you find not to like about "You Fall When You Hesitate?"

 

I asked Dave about the bridge of "5 Light Years" and did not expect that level of depth.

"It's eluding to a game of poker and the flop (or the first three cards) dealt to the table. If you have hearts, and three spades fall, you aren't going to get your flush. And now you're playing with the cards stacked against you. "Freeways four hearts", implies people having the opportunity to leave relationships and all the ways a heart can break. "And all we played was War", implies the game actually being played wasn't as complex and sophisticated as the players. A waste of time and significant damage done."

 

For me When You Fall You Hesitate is too busy at times. It's a bit jarring, but it starts to sound more cohesive about a little over a minute in for the most part. That's not to say any part of it is bad, just not something I feel like I want to listen to over and over the way I do the tracks I previously mentioned and Mae's older songs. Really hoping it'll grow on me though.

 

I feel you on the “there’s one misstep in each song” I find there is a lot to love and not love thrown together.

 

Yeah that whole "You Fall When You Hesitate", " Our Love Is Our Painted Picture", and "A Race For Our Autonomy" section is weird in that all three of those songs are good, and I like them, but they are all missing something that would elevate them to the status of me loving them instead of just liking them.

 

Yeah for me there are songs that I am fully on board with, and then there are songs that are by no means bad that i'm just not completely sold on (see above) and then there is "Sing" and "The Overview" that I find myself skipping because they don't work for me at all. It's by no means a bad album, but it's the first time I have heard a Mae album that I haven't consistently loved from start to finish (including the EPs) which makes me sad.

 

Yeah, exactly! The fact that I have loved everything else they've ever released so much probably makes me more critical of this album than I would be if this was my first time listening to Mae.

 

I only really loved The Everglow and (m)orning. Liked (e)vening a lot too but never got into the other three. I like this new album more than at least half of their discography already.

 

Destination: Beautiful was the weakest for me but was a fun, catchy debut and has nostalgia value. And I totally get how unpopular Singularity is (though I still love it and think it's great). I'm surprised you didn't get into (A)fternoon. (M)orning is my favorite EP but (A)fternoon was always really strong too I felt.

 

I've been meaning to revisit it for a while because I don't think I've listened to it since (e)vening came out honestly. I was super let down by it at the time though after how much I loved (m)orning.

 

I'm still gestating on it but I'm really loving this at the moment. No Promises 10010001001000 is a tune

It feels surreal I'm listening to a new release of theirs. I will definitely buy this album and support these guys first thing next payday

 

This album is a lot better than The Overview would lead you to believe. I’m into it.

 

I didn't even realize Mae actually had something new out. The crazy polarized responses in here have me really excited to check this out, haha

 

They try some interesting and weird things and some songs work better than others but after a few listens I feel "The Overview" is the only real dud on the album.

 

New Mae, new Copeland, maybe more Anberlin shows... life is good

 

I think I started to enjoy the overview. The beginning is certainly jarring but it settles in and the chorus melody is nice. I love some of the music on this- more dynamic than some of the stuff in the past. It’s warming up...

 

Okay. I’ve officially come around to every song individually (even Flow), but the flow of the album still bugged me so I switched up a few things:

1. Kaleidoscope
2. Sing
3. The Overview
4. 5 Light Years
5. No Promises (10001001001100)
6. Our Love is a Painted Picture
7. You Fall When You Hesitate
8. Let It Die
9. Simple Words
10. A Race for Our Autonomy
11. Flow

I don’t like swapping tracks on albums out of respect for the artist but this really fixed everything for me IMO. The transitions seem so much smoother. “Autonomy” at the end is a must. I’ve gone from actively disliking this thing to pretty much loving it in a really short time. Never experienced this before with an album.

 

I’ve come to really like this album. Even The Overview is pretty good aside from the verses, which are still terrible.

 

I was very wrong about this. Very wrong.

 

Also, last thing, but Flow reminds me a bit of how Out of Egypt ends Sufjan’s Illinois album and that fact alone makes me like it a whole lot more as a closer.

Man. What a weird ride this album is taking me on. It’s fascinating me.

 

The Overview still isn't great imo but this is good otherwise.

 

Yesterday I finally came back to the album after letting it sit for a week. I found myself really liking the album for the first time instead of just wishing I liked it more. I've rarely changed track order on an album but may try it. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one coming around on it. I'm still not a big fan of The Overview but it's growing on me.

 

Update: This will be on my personal AOTY list. Like what the heck.