Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees 6 months ago
  • A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash 6 months ago
  • Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019 7 months ago
  • 25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11 7 months ago
  • Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: DiS Does Big Ears 8 months ago
  • IDLES Smash It In Sheffield 8 months ago
  • More bands announced for DiS partnered Fuzz Club Eindhoven 8 months ago
  • The Shape Of Punk To Come?: DiS Meets Crows 8 months ago
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

Mazes

Better Ghosts

Label: FatCat Release Date: 18/11/2013

93121
weirdoripper by Jack Doherty November 26th, 2013

“Manchester, so much to answer for” said a bequiffed bloke with a book many moons ago. Never has a truer word been sung about a city. Decade after decade of classic bands. Then nothing. At. All.

Mazes might not be the saviours of the damp city, but they’re a damn lot better than all of the other noises coming out of the North West at the minute. They’ve got that whole British Sea Power thing going on, just getting on and doing their thing, not making a big song and dance of it.

After two low-key but well respected releases the little scamps have gone and released Better Ghosts, a ‘mini album’ full of re-workings and new songs, for all of us to enjoy. Well, for all of us to enjoy after the indie rock swagger of ‘Hayfever Wristband’. There’s nothing wrong with indie rock swagger, but it doesn’t really give off the right first impression.

After this though, it all gets a bit good. ‘Circada’ trips around like a happy northern Slint. Oh, and there’s a strange cricket chirp in the background that makes it all sound like it’s going on in that jungle that’s on the telly at the moment, with all the famous people and that small Geordie couple. Either that or it sounds like endless nights spent searching for crickets that had escaped from your pet leopard gecko’s cage, only to find out that they had been hiding inside your Packard Bell printer all along. You all know the feeling, I’m sure.

The chirps continue for ‘Donovan’, which probably isn’t about Jason, or even Landon, but it might be. I’ve never really been one for lyrical dissection; leave that to the pop professors of the world - more importantly the track has a creeping riff that could go on for eternity and no one would complain.

Once ‘Notes Between F and E’ rolls into town it all gets a bit acid rock. The guitar is all breezy and backwards, like The Beatles playing Tago Mago. As glorious as this is, it’s not until the closing moments that the real weirdness shines through. The drug fumes vanish, revealing a respectable dinner party, one with chatty guests and ballroom numbers. It’s like the sort of thing that goes down in Looney Tunes after all the animals have gone to bed, having tired themselves out by getting up to no good all of the live long day.

With Better Ghosts, Mazes have proven they’ve got staying power. Maybe, just maybe, they could make Manchester music acceptable again. If not, we’ll always have the Looney Tunes ball.

  • 7
    Jack Doherty's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees


  • A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash


  • Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019


  • 25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11


  • Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: DiS Does Big Ears


  • IDLES Smash It In Sheffield



Left-arrow

Brendan Benson

You Were Right

Mobback
93783
93785

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Live from KCRW

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137
  • Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136

    Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
  • Festival Review


    25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11

  • 106134

    Festival Review


    Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: Di...

  • 106133
  • Live Review


    IDLES Smash It In Sheffield

  • 106132

    Festival Preview


    More bands announced for DiS partnered Fuzz Clu...

  • 106131
  • Interview


    The Shape Of Punk To Come?: DiS Meets Crows

  • 106123
MORE


    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • feature


    Panic Prevention: At the drink with Jamie T

  • 14183

    feature


    The Knife: Swedish purveyors of alien synergy

  • 27337
  • Column


    DiS Does Singles 22.04.13: Daft Punk, Savages, ...

  • 89944

    DiScover


    ReDiScover: Low

  • 12734
  • In Depth


    Lou Reed: An Eu-lulu-ogy

  • 93330

    DiScussion


    Emo? Twee? In unnecessary defence of Neutral Mi...

  • 93713
  • Interview


    Ace of Bass: DiS Meets Royal Blood

  • 97097
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2019 DROWNED IN SOUND