INVENTIONS FOR THE NEW SEASON

Though their name may invoke thoughts of speed, or flair, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that this is good driving music, Maserati is actually a post-rock band in the vein of Explosions on the Sky, just with more vigor. The tempos, the riffs, the minimalistic approach - that's all the same. The difference between Maserati and the aforementioned post-rock giant, is in the arrangement. Explosions in the Sky are known for their lush atmospheres and loud/soft dynamics. Maserati's strength is in their rhythm. Keeping the tempos at a moderate pace for the most part, the drums lay down a punchy beat, and the bass is given a more prominent place in the mix, which allows for a more groove-driven backbone. In "Synchronicity IV," we are even treated to an auxiliary percussion addition to conclude the song. Then there is also "Show Me the Season," where they keep up a fast 12/8 beat for its 9-minutes while the guitars oscillate between distorted and clean segments. This is where the band sets themselves apart from their contemporaries. There is a seperate but equal treatment of the guitars, bass, and drums, if you will. There are still plenty of post-rock trademarks here - powerful climaxes, pretty guitars with delay effects, and the whole lot - but they band manages to do enough to avoid being part of an evergrowing snowball of run-of-the-mill post-rock bands. Imagine one of those snowballs that rolls down a mountain and gets continually bigger as it rolls down the hill and collects more snow, and then Maserati is standing (or snowboarding, even skiing if you prefer) on the side of it, a bit close, but not too close, as they watch the ball go past them. That is an impromptu metaphor of what is going on in post-rock these days, and where Maserati stands in all of it.