We’ve Got a Map finds Gabriel Leis (lead vocals, guitar, flugelhorn) and percussionist Mie Araki, aka Tidelands, back with a predominantly mid-tempo, quiet soundscape. By quiet, I mean the space between measures; between more strident and less aggressive sounds. As with most paintings, everything can’t be in the foreground. It takes musicians with restraint, vision, and and technique to paint a picture that works, from one end to the other. Tidelands is about articulate, engaging expression, which is embellished beautifully by Magik*Magik Orchestra on this second full-length.
If Tidelands occasionally leans into medieval imagery and tones, a contemporary cousin to ‘70s Prog. rock, I’m not really bothered – it all seems to fit (the band would make a great bill-sharer with Shearwater). We’ve Got a Map is the sort of album that’s meant to be played in its entirety; revealing fresh colors and nuances with successive immersions. The album also sports Tidelands’ rockin-est song to date, “The New Black.” But my favorite, “Japan,” is an unusual concoction of soulful flavor with a vaguely Asian feeling and the sort of bright, conversational vocals that could herald a “now” version of the New Wave.
