John Gerrard is an artist hailing from Calgary, Alberta and he is no stranger to the local music scene; having played in some heavier bands such as Alivia and Nikola Testla. He may be more recognized as both the man behind the art and the former base player of Victoria’s Northcote. Having followed most of the bands he’s been a part of when i came across his solo material under the moniker Francis Cheer I was pleasantly surprised with the first release Typewriter. Then the release of the Seabather EP as a precursor to the new full length I was left eager with wet feet to hear more and when I finally got my hands on a copy I couldn't wait to dive into it.
With seamless flow and peaceful ambience Mapmaker never fails to live up to expectations set by Typewriter, except perhaps on the track “Singer On the Drum” which is just a collection of what seems to be a sound check for percussion on an unused track. The ten tracks (drum track included) come to a concise 26.5 minutes and during a full listen this seems to be fly by, which is attributed to how easily the album moves from one song to another. The album has the ability to transition between an upbeat folk sound to a calm ambient one with out feeling harsh or out of place; its always feels organic. Johns singing throughout the release is soothing and creates an overall feel that is both a pro and a con; if the listener is invested it adds a great deal to the album however if they are not it can come across alienating or boring, much in the same way as Cloakroom or Laura Stevenson. The bottom line however is this vibe adds far more to the music than it takes away, you can tell a lot of love and passion was put in to "Mapmaker" and therefore makes it easy to appreciate.
The single for the record “You & I” has great energy and marshals in the album by being the first track. The title-track "Mapmaker" is soothing and simple, while the track "Seabather" is flowing and gentle. I interpret these track as a polarization of each other where the former illustrating a concept that is solid and concrete and the latter illustrating dynamics and fluidity. This relationship encompasses the album as a whole in its ability to move through either concept from beginning to end (drum track not included). The tracks "Some Old Town" and "Lonely Days" have a reminiscence to Graceland that pull at my heartstrings while staying different enough to bring something new.
Mapmaker is an excellent release from Francis Cheer, this short, but sweet, full length is a strong release and shows plenty of growth from the Typewriter demos. I listened to this album (drum track excluded) before bed every night for a over a month and will continue to do so.
