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BANDS: Punk
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The Mayflies USA: Walking in a Straight Line
Almost exactly four years ago, Chapel Hills Mayflies USA
did a string of tour dates opening for their NC Triangle buddies the Connells.
Before I even saw a show on that tour, I had heard much praise
surrounding the Mayflies from Connells fans who had been hailing them as some
kind of pop masters. (This, by the
way, contradicts with a statement in the Mayflies press kit that the
consensus of Connells fans was that theyd be good if they werent so
drunk and sloppy and loud.) The
point Im trying to make here is that there was no way their performance was
going to live up to the kind of hype I had heard, and that is exactly what
happened. At the show I saw, the
Mayflies came across as almost too poppy, and I got the sense that their music
lacked some depth and maturity. Jump ahead four years; Im now listening to the Mayflies
third release Walking in a Straight Line and realize that either (a) the
Mayflies have seriously refined their sound or (b) they play they kind of pop
music that is best heard on a well-produced, recorded album rather than at a
live show. Their newest release is
packed full of the kind of catchy, sugary pop that makes you want to put your CD
player on repeat. The production by
Keith Cleversley (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Spiritualized) captures the
bands beautiful vocal harmonies perfectly and helps give the Mayflies the
refined sound that was lacking in their live performance. While Walking in a Straight Line leans heavily on
60s and 70s rock influences (the band admits to being on a lifelong
Beatles kick), their resemblance to more modern acts like Teenage Fanclub is
undeniable. 123 has the same
lazy guitar perfectly blended with vocal choruses that can be heard on the
Fanclubs Bandwagonesque. The
rhythm and bass lines in I Wont Forget remind me of Matthew Sweets
Time Capsule. Still yet, the
Mayflies have an endearing, sincere quality that is somehow very Chapel
Hill.
This album can be purchased at Amazon, Insound, and CD Universe. LEFT OFF THE DIAL'S Mayflies USA page About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
