Another album that will make the year end list: The Mae Shi

Now, as of two years ago, I hated the Mae Shi. I'd seen them live a few times and they were pretty bad. Admittedly, the one time I really saw them was opening up for Ozma, but still, they were bad. As time went on, I became increasingly aware of their deep involvement with the Smell, which made me see them differently than any other "bad" band. They were obnoxious just because they could be. About a year and a half ago, I heard that the band had lost two of its founding members (including their singer) and had replaced them and were in the process of recording a new album.

Tracks started to wander out onto the blogosphere, and they were very good, but it wasn't until I saw the attached video that I actually fell in love.

Last week, their new album, HLLLYH, appeared on the blogosphere in its entirety. I've listened to it about 20 times since then and I love different things about it each time I hear it. The synth sounds are perfectly engineered, just on the edge of distorting wildly, the drums are huge and the multitracked vocals are so impressive in the way that they're stacked. It's obvious that the vocals on this album are a huge part, but they don't take focus away from the instruments.

Now, I was about to post the full album for your consumption, but since I know everyone who reads this blog, you will know that I mean this when I say it: go out and see the Mae Shi live and buy their album directly from them. You know that, for the most part, I advocate stealing as much music as possible, however, this is one of those times that you just HAVE to support the band. Here's why (part of a statement from the Mae Shi's bio):

”This is our story, and we invite you to come along. It's about self-improvement and trying to live life at the top of your lungs, living life rightly, respecting others, making something you're proud of, and trying to sort out all the static and figuring out what matters. It's about trying to forge that third way, that way everyone said it couldn't be done. We do this in basements and backyards and in fancy clubs we don't even feel comfortable in. We do this in living rooms and bathrooms and bedrooms and wherever the sound sounds best. We do this with ten dollar keyboards and Olvera Street guitars and with light-reactive synths we built ourselves. We do this with broken cymbals and busted speakers. We do this the first thing when we wake up. We do this after a hard day at work, when it's the only solace and life seems to be a constant source of frustration. We do this on weekends. We do this all the time.”

I couldn't have said it better myself.