My Multi-Sensory Aesthetic Experience

Mae redeems themselves in this hipster's eyes.

So when my friend Lady Ally called with the news, I was moved by her generosity, but not particularly nonplussed with the selection: we had missed Explosions in the Sky, and inexplicable pursuits and a friend's wedding reception kept us from Jose Gonzalez, so she had gotten us tickets to Mae. I was much more into Mae two years ago, when again unfortunate circumstances kept us from seeing the Virginia five-piece (now three with touring musicians). I've always associated their relationship to indie with the Gin Blossoms' relationship to alternative: not really part of the sound or the scene, but somehow always associated with it in some way. That being said, I like Mae still.

Their 2007 release, Singularity, was not much to speak of. A couple of single-worthy tracks, but like nearly everyone's first major-label release, something was lost in translation (see Death Cab's Plans). Aside: would that everyone would release R.E.M.'s Green rather than Death Cab's Plans on their first big-name at bat. Further, I had moved away from whatever you want to call Mae: indie pop, post-emo, power pop, whatever, and I'd really strayed into Sufjan Country: disgusted as mentioned by Plans, only accepting of new Decemberists work inasmuch as it was daring in the album-oriented sense, getting into mini-indie like Yeasayer and the Brobecks (and mega-mini-indie band Vampire Weekend), and like everyone else who owns a pair of Chuck Taylors, waiting for the second coming of The Postal Service. I thought the show was going to be tofu for the mind.



We got there as Between the Trees was starting their set. They sound like Taking Back Sunday. Then the Honorary Title. Bad name, boring tunes. Then Mae came on to wild accords. OK, fine, I'm excited too. A projector had gone on during setup. I was both excited and concerned. They opened with "Futuro" from the B-Sides album, and suddenly it was okay that we hadn't gone to see Explosions. The projector shone over all band members neo-retro-futurism, a cheesy mix of planets and binary--it was awesome. They cut the crap and went straight into "Embers and Envelopes" with the background now showing images from a night drive on the freeway. Post-emo, indeed. It was so good. The whole show consisted of five guys having fun. (And getting paid an obscene amount of cash, I guess.) It was as if, after three tours, they realized they'd finally made it. There were lots of singalongs, but in a very innocent way.

Also, frontman Dave Elkins is a nice boy. In this world of plug, chug, and bug concerts, Dave's talk to the crowd was full of gratitude and cordiality. He didn't bogart the mic, but he didn't ignore Salt Lake City either. If I were a grandfather, I'd ask him to marry my granddaughter. They played a lengthy set (not primarily from the new album), and two encores.

Ill will toward Singularity aside, my live experience with this exceptional group has gotten me back on the Mae train.

(Thanks to Lady Ally for the picture and the t-shirt.)