Leicester's Maybeshewill have never previously done things by halves, they have always put the maximum effort into everything they have ever written, and their third album, 'I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone,' is no exception.
Opening track (Which is cleverly called 'Opening') is a brilliant orchestral piece, starting off the album in the style of 65daysofstatic. An epic drum line and choral singing help to create a dark atmosphere, which leads nicely into the second track.
'Take This To Heart' kicks in straight after 'Opening,' with no chance to sit back and take in what you just heard. Heavy guitar lines and violins give this song a very epic feel, which is what this record is about. This song is nicely unpredictable, every now and then the guitar stops and an orchestral piano or violin section will come in, which is really what helps to seal Maybeshewill's reputation as a great post/math/whatever rock band, I have never been able to make up my mind as to what genre to classify this band as.
Next track 'Red Paper Lanterns' starts with a calm guitar line, which then is layered with drums and xylophones to build up to a climax where everything goes very Explosions in the Sky-esque. Then everything goes calm again, with a synth interlude mimicking what the guitar was doing previously, all building up to a math rock guitar riff that seems very common in the current UK underground scene, reminiscent of bands such as Tubelord, Tangled Hair etc.
Next track and lead single 'Critical Distance' is a good example of how well this band can do post rock, I would have to, once again, refer to 65daysofstatic in order to describe how this sounds, but it's not in a way that they are ripping them off, more as in they are acknowledging what 65days are doing and trying to do similar. For me this is the best song on the record, a very good choice for lead single, and probably a very good way for people who haven't listened to Maybeshewill in the past to get into them.
'Accolades' follows with distorted guitars and a fast synth line in an odd time signature, this track is almost in the style of early Biffy Clyro, in the way that it is fast, heavy and unpredictable. Once again this song like most on this record cut out to a calm, almost orchestral section, then goes into a great calm build up which leads to what is probably the album's heaviest moment. The track leads into a quiet outro, while xylophones and sampled violins play what the guitar was playing prior to it. By this point I am totally won over by this album, listening to the next 5 songs is just a mere technicality that I have to do in order to give a fair review.
'An End To Camaraderie' is another brilliant example of how much talent this band has, there is so much energy in this song it becomes hard to sit still after a while. There is a brilliant background synth part in this song that you have to really listen out for, in my opinion it should have been turned up in the mix as it would have made this song so much better, but regardless this song is the best example of what this band does, heaviness mixed with ambience.
The album then leads into 'Words For Arabella,' a calm song, all the way through this time. This was a good tactical move by Maybeshewill, as everybody listening would be expecting this song to get really heavy like every other one on this album, but this keeps the album unpredictable. As well as working as a good way to maintain unpredictability it is a refreshing break from distorted guitars and loud drums, even if just for a few minutes.
Next up is 'Farewell Sarajevo,' which starts with ambient synths, this intro could quite easily go into a drum and bass song, but I am quite glad that it doesn't, instead going into a brilliantly formulated post rock crescendo.
Penultimate track 'Relative Minors' is the longest on the album, and is also the most epic of every song on it. With brilliantly thought out guitar melodies over distorted chord sequences, energetic drums over amazingly well sampled piano parts, this song just reinforces the great impression that the rest of the album has made, and cements them as one of the great post rock bands in the world, I expect one day to see the name Maybeshewill alongside Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Final track, 'To The Skies From A Hillside' is a good way to end the album, with both guitarists contributing to what is essentially a 5 minute long riff with the occasional slowing down point, presumably because the guitarists need a second to catch their breath.
All in all this is a brilliant post rock album. It will not be everybody's cup of tea due to how hard some people find it to get into post rock, but for fans of the genre, it will win them over with no effort.
