Review
Charts And Maps
Dead Horse

Lost Children (2011) Sarah

Charts And Maps – Dead Horse cover artwork
Charts And Maps – Dead Horse — Lost Children, 2011

There is no easy way to define Charts and Maps' sound. My gut reaction is to throw the whole thing under 'math rock,' but that term alone ignores all of the other aspects of their sound. Their proper debut album, Dead Horse, features a diverse array of influences from jazz, progressive music, and even jam bands. Needless to say, it's extremely hard to classify what is going on. Of course, what do labels matter when the music is superb?

One thing for certain is that the album itself is incredibly juicy. The riffs are slick, the solos are raw yet polished, the rhythms are hypnotic, and the entire album just sounds beautiful from beginning to end. The entire quintet sounds like equal parts Pat Metheny and Joe Satriani, going from light, jazzy doodles to groovy shredding without batting an eye. There are even heavy elements of funk rock with "Hypnotiq American Firework". What I appreciate most about this album, however, is how Mike Allison's saxophone parts don't sound forced; they sound incredibly at home with the rest of the music rather than standing out like sore thumbs. From the opening saxophone blares of "Take Me Back to Highland Park" to the ending notes of the title track, the woodwinds blend in so beautifully that you'll scarcely notice anything is unusual.

Though the first track is a measly four and a half minutes long, literally no other track on this album is less than seven minutes in length. What's most impressive about this is that the seemingly endless jamming doesn't seem to ever grow boring. Even on the eleven-minute excursion that is "In the Town of Machine", the piece just seems to keep going without ever losing its steam; the song just keeps building, the sounds just keep swelling, and the band just keeps pulling more and more tasty melodies out of nowhere, climaxing with an absolutely fabulous guitar solo. "Pearl Divers of the Arabian Peninsula", another strong track on the album, also features arrestingly beautiful saxophone and guitar jams.

Dead Horse, in short, is everything you could ask for in an album and more. Even though the band are still a little fettered to their debut EP (heck, two of the best tracks on this album are actually rewrites from Enemies of C. Frias), no one can deny that this quintet is producing incredibly high-quality music. The musicianship is fantastic, the songs are wonderful, and best of all, since it was released by Lost Children, it's free to download, too. It's an incredibly confusing album, sure, but it's still immensely enjoyable. You can nab it by a pay-what-you-want system at http://lostchildren.bandcamp.com/album/dead-horse

8.0 / 10Sarah • December 26, 2011

Charts And Maps – Dead Horse cover artwork
Charts And Maps – Dead Horse — Lost Children, 2011

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025

Recently-posted album reviews

Pinhead Gunpowder

Unt
1-2-3-4 Go! Records (2024)

Pinhead Gunpowder began in 1990, recording a 7” in 1991. The band last released a 7” in 2008… Until late 2024 when the band returned with the 14-song full-length Unt. So congratulations if you had “we get a new Pinhead Gunpowder record before a new D4 record on your bingo card. (These two bands released a split 7” in 2000 … Read more

The Cure

Songs of a Lost World
Capitol, Fiction, Lost Music, Polydor/Universal (2024)

It's been sixteen years since The Cure released their last album. I don't know if anyone really knew what to expect, but it's one of the most influential bands in history so expectations were high. The Verdict? Those expectations were met. It'd be silly to say Songs of a Lost World is a "return to form" as the band and … Read more

City Mouse

So Far Out
Brassneck Records, It's Alive (2024)

There are few bands that hit with the mix of raw emotion and musical talent as a live City Mouse show. There are even fewer bands that can capture that live feeling on a record. It’s been a long 7 years since Get Right, but So Far Out keeps it moving as if no time has passed. Of course, the … Read more