Review Summary: (e)vening is a transcendental experience that gives one the sensation of a night underneath the starlit sky in a green pasture.
I have always thought of evening as a time of reflection. Some of my most profound thoughts have come while lying in bed, just staring at the ceiling and waiting to fall asleep. The whole thing has kind of a slow-motion effect; everything from my body to my mind begins to relax, unwind, and prepare for a good night’s rest. In the process, I usually have a reasonable amount of time to look back on my day – what went well, what I would do over again if I had the chance, etc. As children, I don’t think we have the cognitive level of development to appreciate this opportunity…at that age, we just want to stay up and keep playing video games (and maybe some of us still do, but I digress). As I have grown up and entered adulthood, all of these things have made the late evening hours one of my most cherished moments of daily
me time. So when I saw that Mae released its third concept EP
(e)vening, I knew that the band had their work cut out for them; at least in order to win me over. I must say,
(e)vening did not only meet my lofty expectations, but it also far surpassed them.
While
(m)orning and
(a)fternoon provided us with some of Mae’s most artistically creative work since
The Everglow,
(e)vening elevates itself into a whole new league. The EP features split song structures, with five instrumental tracks and four tracks with vocals. The balance between the two results in a tangible, intoxicating
night time sensation that makes one feel like they have wandered into a green pasture to fall asleep beneath the stars. The journey kicks off with the piano instrumental, “A Quiet (e)vening”:
A Quiet (e)vening
I make my way out the front door of my house to a beautiful blue-gray skyline. The sound of the creaking swing on the front porch gives me a warm, comforting feeling. A light, almost weightless sounding piano note breaks the quiet in a most gentle fashion. As I walk down the front steps to the sidewalk of my street, the notes become higher and seem to mimic the thoughtfulness of my tired but very active mind as I gaze intently at the crescent moon, surrounded by millions of tiny stars. Almost like lightning bugs buzzing around a lamppost, they seem to shine in alternation and give the dark, surrounding canopy a twinkling effect. I think I even saw one of the “lightning bugs” move. I shake my head quickly and take a seat on the green grass below me. With my back now against the ground, I let my thoughts take my mind away for good. The piano notes slowly relent, and dwindle as the time between my breaths draw longer. Beneath the stars is as good a place as any to get some rest.
(e)vening, follows up this brief introductory track with a trio of soft-rock gems. As a whole, the songs featuring vocals seem to create a rift in the album’s flow. However, if you are looking for faults with
(e)vening, your efforts may end at that. “Bloom” commences with slow, purposeful drumming accompanied by the classical piano that has continued right on through from “A Quiet (e)vening”. Heavier atmospheric guitars chime in, sending the song’s momentum into a semi-eruption, before Elkin’s vocal melody paints a pensive scenery, “
Lying on my back the clouds are smiling / A current flies through the moonlit sky with sweet reprise / Hands open I've lost my grip / The stars are shining down on me as if to say ‘your day is over’.” The chorus is a definitive highlight of
(e)vening’s first half, with a grown-up lullaby of sorts in which Elkins uses a high-pitched vocal inflection to help put the listener at ease. “I Just Needed You To Know” recounts an experience that we have all had before; impatiently driving at night to see someone you can’t wait to spend time with. Elkins captures the feeling perfectly, singing, “
I remember I would drive 95 in the middle of the night just to see you / I would say, ‘For goodness sake could this car go faster?’ / I'd curse things in between that slowed me down / You were home talking to me on the phone saying ‘patience makes this last, dear.’" The song proceeds to tell a story about how the affectionate couple spends time together, from going to picnics to watching fireworks. It finally culminates with vivid lyrics that appear to depict an engagement:
I did my best to put my love in words
When I knelt down at your feet and took your hand
Do you remember how it felt that night?
Knowing then and there was where we'd start to grow
You see I just needed you to know
“My Favorite Dream” follows things up with the perfect bridge between vocal, rock-oriented tracks and the instrumental saga of “Seasons.” With gentle acoustic guitars and a humming chorus of, “
There she goes, at the speed of sound”, one is left with a sense of nostalgia that feels like a slow drift into a daydream. Thus, the song appropriately sets the mood for the set of instrumental piano ballads that ensue:
Seasons i: Departure
A familiar piano still plays in the background. The atmosphere is becoming a crescent to my slowly closing eyes. The stars are hiding in a dream as I’m drifting in and out of consciousness…I am finally ready to fall asleep. As my body gradually shuts down and my mind floats into a state of oblivion, I can feel the soothing effect of each note. Almost as if to reassure me that my journey will be temporary, the slow, descending tempo of the keys sends me on my way. Its repetitive, rhythmic qualities rock me to sleep and before I know it I have departed to a far away world – one where anything can happen, and I am at the mercy of my imagination.
Seasons ii: Initiation
My entrance into a state of complete relaxation feels effortless. The rising and falling of those piano keys have me spellbound, and keep me linked to the world outside of this dream. Rising and falling, rising and falling…mirroring the actions of my lungs as they inflate with air, and then subsequently overfill and deflate. The muscles in my body are slowly loosening to the piano’s cyclical, patterned lullaby. My imagination has drifted to many different places – only some of which I will still remember by morning…if I am lucky. There is an unexpected pause in the background music, followed by a few high-pitched classical notes that have the surrounding aura of an epiphany or significant revelation. Right as this happens, slideshows of memories I’ve had with loved ones flash before my eyes – grandparents, sisters and brothers, girlfriends…my mind runs rampant with recollections of my past, present worries and fears, and future hopes. Any destination I want to be at is a second away for my mind, which seems to be moving at the speed of light in contrast to my stationary frame.
Seasons iii: Return
Despite my deep state of unconscious dreaming, I can still feel the soft grass brushing against my neck in the breeze. I can feel the atmosphere around me as it is interpreted by my senses and turned into various hallucinations. The pianos continue to dance and intertwine with each other, like a skilled display of courtship between two lovers on a dance floor. Even though my eyes are closed, I can almost see the candle lights dancing in the windows, creating a complimentary rhythm to the sound of the piano. The pace steadily declines, until my thoughts once again reach a mid-tempo groove. Everything from the imaginary sights to the sounds of the music is starting to seem familiar as the keys have come full circle…they seem to be playing the same song with which the evening had started. I see a small sliver of light that seems to be growing as my mind regains awareness, until I eventually can see the moon again out of my sluggishly opening eyelids.
I am nudged awake by the sound of wind chimes blowing in the breeze.
The EP returns from its instrumental venture for one more vocal serenade. “Sleep Well” begins with some very quiet chimes and a computerized wind effect. Elkin’s chants of “
sleep well, sleep well, oh won’t you sleep well tonight” almost seem motivationally inspired, as if one should appreciate the experience on a new level now and not take it for granted as a ho-hum experience of daily life. A tribal-sounding drum starts pounding in the background. A barely audible violin accentuates the song’s uplifting power, and eventually it reaches its peak with the electric guitar riff that kicks off “Good (e)vening.”
Good (e)vening
Oxygen floods my nostrils and the light of the moon stimulates my pupils. A majestic guitar riff combined with angelic violins and powerful drumming all welcome my ears back to Earth. I feel energized and invigorated. I pick my body up off the ground and begin to make my way towards my front porch. The instruments all play in harmony like one grand opus; like an orchestra has been hired to announce my arrival to my own doorstep. I look at the swing which is no longer creaking or swaying in the breeze. I open my door, and I am overcome with warmth as I take one last look outside, then step across the threshold.
With
(e)vening Mae just might have created its best album. The piano instrumentals are stunning – and to be honest they give the EP character and make it what it is. Listening to this album truly gives you the sensation of falling asleep – or maybe what it would feel like to watch a dream from the outside as it occurs. Other than
The Everglow, no other work by Mae holds a candle to it. Mae has clearly turned a corner in terms of maturity and musicianship, and the difference between
(e)vening and their prior works is…well as the saying goes, it is like
night and
day.
