Mae

Destination: Beautiful (2003)

Andy

The last time I heard a CD that sounded this good and blew me away as much as this album did was Jimmy Eat World's masterpiece Clarity. Mae has created an emotional journey that is just as masterful as Clarity was, only masterful in a different way.

Where Clarity often led me to close my eyes and just feel alive, Destination: Beautiful puts the biggest smile on my face. I can't sit still when I listen to this album. Truth be told, halfway through my first listen of Embers and Envelopes I had one of the biggest smiles I've ever had. I was excited to be hearing what I was hearing. It's been a long time since I've heard a band with such a perfcect and unique sound as Mae have. Brandtson came to mind after I heard this CD the whole way through, but Mae stands out more than Brandtson. Mae's songs just glow with meaning; beautiful guitars shine through when they need to and fall back in the mix when need be. Drumming is very solid and stands out quite nicely through out the album. A keyboard is utilized to perfection; the last forty seconds of Sun and all of Embers and Envelopes are a testemant to how much of a difference the keyboard makes. Now for the vocals… beautiful. They lean slightly towards the high end, reminiscent of Death Cab's Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Eat World's Jim Adkins, the vocals have a voice of their own. Beautiful.

Embers and Envelopes, Sun, Soundtrack to Our Movie, Summertime and Goodbye, Goodnight are my favorites. Each shines with uniqueness and emotion that makes Mae so freakin good. Giving It Away and Skyline Drive are the two "ballads" I guess you could say, the two songs slow things down and bring out another side to the band that shines equally as bright. Out of the 11 tracks there is not one dud. I failed to mention the other songs only because of how much the songs I mentioned stand out.

Destination: Beautiful is about as close to a perfect album as I've heard in years. In fact, Mae may have created a perfect album. Beautifully written and played, Destination: Beautiful stands out amongst the rest of the CDs on the shelves. Purchase this album and you will be the proud owner of joy pressed to CD. Push play and let go, Mae will make the sun shine and will bring a smile to your face.