Maple Stave is a hardworking post-hardcore band that’s been grinding out good ep’s and albums since back in aught 3. From Durham North Carolina (not too far from the famous indie rock bastion of Chapel Hill), their special flavor involves 2 baritones and recently an added fuzzy bass guitar for your extra low end pleasure. After 5 releases that exhibited some growth and change but pretty much stuck to the same sound genre playbook, they recently released their standout album ‘Arguments’. And while the title may fool you into thinking this is another band paying tribute to Fugazi’s final similarly titled album (or maybe it is; esoteric references to other rock bands abound on the album), this album represents a pivotal change in their sound, specifically the higher powered vocals and melodies.
Though the underlying instrumentation is akin to and developed from their many years grinding in the post-math rock game, the often harmonized high in the mix vocal melodies are for the first time evocative of the unholy cross breed of hardcore with prog rock. And while it has been done before (most famously by At the Drive In, the Mars Volta and their acolytes), Maple Stave’s version is no one dimensional imitation nor does it sound derivative in any way. This may be the result of their highly skilled use of midwestern math rock style baritone and basslines that are, to ears like mine, the sweet sweet sound of the drudgery of home. Or the fact that instead of putting the ethereal more commercially pleasing prog melodies on all of the songs, they instead utilize the anti-commercial self indulgence of purely instrumental pure post jam jamming on tracks like “Good Luck in Green Bay”, “Cool Attitude’ and the (Helmet tribute?) “Downtown Julie Brown”.
However, much as I enjoy the unbearably catchy chorus to the album’s standout track “The French Song”, if you listen close you can hear a bit of Journey’s Separate Ways (not that that’s such a bad thing mind you — lousiest air synth playing music video though it may have been, the song is pure delectable Motown and not quite prog). That being said, the emotional depth and weight of tunes like The French Song, featuring a maximalist, unusually off kilter (even for the math rock genre) drum line under minimal sustained fuzzy bass and baritone notes coupled with the subtly almost dully whispered single vocals of part 1 followed by a full on assault of grinding of bass and baritone lines, driving noise rock percussion rhythm with the booming, harmonized up in the mix vocal melody truly brooks no genuine similarity to anything as hollow as pop prog in any way. However, most people do put the majority of weight on the vocal melodies of songs and will hear and remember them far more than the rest of the music. And tracks like Cincinatti Hairpiece and Thunderkiss ’85 are quite weightily indebted to At-the Drive Ins melodic guitar lines and screamed emo-prog lyrics that evoke extremity of feelings far more than make sense… The emo goes even further on “Keep Charging the Enemy” and “I’m not Tied to Pretty” with instrumentation and melodies that are damned near pretty. But if any of that sounded negative to you, the sheer overall quality of these tunes and especially that sweet spot between harsh buzz and evocative pith (most evident on album opener “Indian Ocean, Present Day”) makes this a record worth overlooking all things borrowed and just enjoying the quality and growth of a truly sincere group with truckloads of integrity.
I must admit I believe the majority of the lyrics are either abstractly emotionally evocative or go over my head with the exception of ‘Thunderkiss ’85’. The fact that this is exactly 20 years after the “demon warp came alive” makes me think that perhaps every line I don’t understand is also an arcane reference, just one that I don’t get. This song seems to paint a tale of an America (world) that fucked everything up around 1985, when it started unashamedly redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich. Obviously it’s more complicated then that, but it’s one of the few songs with big meaning I thought was discernible — and honestly if I’m right who would argue with that thesis? To the x-ers and millenials it certainly seems “this is how things began to end” in ’85 with income inequality and unchecked corporate power, not the sexual and social changes of ’65 as previous generations thought.
Despite all my bullshit hipsterish criticisms above (that for some reason always make people think I dislike things more than I do), I mean to say I really like this record. And the one before it. And the band. I have a great deal of respect for true hardworking musicians that stick to their guns and write and play and tour non-stop for either the joy of it or just because they feel compelled by the Spirit (of rock). And if they play my town I’ll definitely be the first one there. Let’s hope this is just the most current in a long line of great records far into the future!
Watch excellent cutup frotage video for single “The French Song” at https://maplestave.bandcamp.com/track/the-french-song