Their second EP in a year, and Map sounds more like Starflyer 59 than ever, even copping riffs straight off of everything from Silver to Easy Come Easy Go and Leave Here A Stranger, without much, if any, attempt at facade. It would seem that Jason Martin's production credit is more like a clue to whose left-over songs are on this album, like Map is some kind of SoCal indie rock boy band construct. The plus side is that Josh Dooley has gained confidence in his voice, and the trio perform pretty decent hazy pop songs (at least we assume they do). The last track, "Crash," is the best song, and departs from Martin's formula, but just as quickly grabs Apples in Stereo's muse. I'm sure this is the part where some wise guy stammers that all pop is derivative, and then starts listing the folks that Martin and Apples copped, and so on, until we are knighting Gang of Four and bowing to Revolver and Pet Sounds. Alright there, tiger, settle down. You had me at "pop."
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Michial FarmerEastern Skies, Western Eyes, Map's second EP for Velvet Blue, finds them sounding even more like Starflyer 59--unsurprising, since both vocalist/guitarist Josh Dooley and drummer Joseph Esquibel do time in Starflyer, and since Jason Martin himself produces the EP. They're far from a rip-off though; they've got their own sound and develop it nicely in the fourteen minutes presented here. The EP…Similar sounding releases
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