Mae
Formed in Norfolk, Virginia in the early 2000s, underground-experimental rock trio Mae named their just-released album, somewhat haughtily, Multisensory Aesthetic Experience. That might lead one to expect a noisy and probably pretentious band, perhaps playing industrial steeped math rock with the furrowed brows and serious expressions of scientists. In actuality, they could more accurately be compared with fun and freeform virtual groups like Gorillaz and, believe it or not, Metalocalypse. If the Banana Splits had Kraftwerk’s keyboards, that’d be Mae.
Singularity, their first new full-length since their major label breakthrough in 2007, is chock full of Zen-sounding lyrics and flashcard-ready artwork sure to inspire an all-new round of devotional tattoos from their many ink-heavy fans, some of them known to stage independent Mae listening parties at tattoo shops. There’s a somewhat newfound funky edge and dance groove to the 11 new tracks that should serve the band well when it comes to getting the usually sedate Irenic crowd on their feet on January 19, where they’ve promised a “fully immersive virtual reality experience” in keeping with the one-foot-in-the-future sounds and themes of Singularity.