Mazes
Ores & Minerals
FatCat Records [2013]
Fire Note Says: UK band avoids the sophomore slump and adds excellent Krautrock elements on Ores & Minerals.
Album Review: This is the stuff right here! A hot young guitar band from the UK adopts krautrock influences into their indie rock sound and not only avoids the sophomore slump, but completely blows their first album out of the water! Sounds pretty good, right? If you answered yes, then Mazes is the band you need to check out, and Ores & Minerals is the record you absolutely must hear.
“Bodies” opens Ores & Minerals on a high note, with nearly 7 minutes of a Neu! inspired motorik groove. The guitars dart around the rock solid beat and provide a slashing counterpoint to the pummeling beat. From there, Mazes shift gears, with the solid, but slower and less groovy, “Dan Higgs Particle”. This particular song, is pretty straightforward indie guitar fare, it’s not bad, but it’s not a highlight either. At just over 2 minutes, it feels longer. Mazes shift gears again with the brief lo-fi instrumental “Significant Bullet” which slowly dissolves into the title track, “Ores & Minerals”. “Ores & Minerals” builds slowly, taking it’s time to hit work it’s way into it’s groove. Think Wilco’s “Kidsmoke” if Yo La Tengo covered it. The guitars really kick in at about the 1:30 mark, and give you an all too brief face melting! The last 50 seconds of the track feature another ripping solo which the band rides out to the songs conclusion. There are a few more excellent songs on the album which are in the similar vein, “Skulking” and “Bite” are both fine examples of their Yo La Tengo meets La Dusseldorf sound.
Mazes really find their footing on the spectacular “Slice” which is a perfect 3:37 summation of their record. Everything they do well is encapsulated in this track. Excellent guitar work, strong melodies, and nice rhythm section work all coming together and working as a whole. It feels like less of a “Hey, let’s spot the influences” type song, and more of a sign of great things to come for this young band. Keep an eye on Mazes, they are pretty unique in this day and age, they aren’t mining the same influences that every other young band is, they are on to something completely different. I think you are going to dig what they are about!
Key Tracks: “Skulking”, “Bodies”, “Slice”
Artists With Similar Fire: La Dusseldorf / Neu! / Pavement
Mazes Website
Mazes Facebook
FatCat Records
-Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
