Maypole – “Real, The ” – [Anopheles Records]

Thurston Hunger   10/26/2006   12-inch, A Library

Dropping some interesting bombs into the mindmeld of firedaisy rock,
indeed there’s some sort of nuclear blast on the lead-off track
and at other times a reverb buster gets cut loose for a couple of
beats. Check the album cover for a slice of 1970, flip it over and
you see everyone sings on this. A good sign, as is a nest of Who’s
Next calibre rock und hoople before Sister Disco steamrolled the
unsuspecting long-haired boys and girls. Paul Welsh not only sings
but kinda plays melodic drums on this, if you know what I mean.
His hi-hat often whispers, “pssst.” Definite rock histrionics get
yer mental fog machine fired up. Even the old open-string trill
riff gets buzzed into “Johnny!” They even pump fake you with the
“rock ballad” intro on “You Were” but again a nice bit o’ bashing
works its way into the up-phase of that number. Yeah some songs
have “Yeah” in the lyrics. Man (if I may address you in the proper
vernacular), this is 1970! A lot of bands would hear stuff on the
radio and think, we’re better than that. Maypole was indeed, but
as the detailed liner notes describe, and the lyrics prophecy
“This scene for me fell through, for only a year but
the time I spent wondering I could have born another man”
Alas, Maypole often got the shaft, still this is enjoyable as a
time capsule / holy grail / hot R Baltimore. Definitely a shadow
hovers nearby of what could have been; mention of more ragged and
improvised (yet still loosely tight) live sets beckon a rare boot?

-Thurston Hunger