| It's no accident that Mae's fourth studio LP bears the self-fulfilling prophecy of their namesake. Multisensory Aesthetic Experience, the band's first full-length release in nearly a decade, is the arguable realization of their aspirations since conception. There is a liberation that occurs within the first few notes of the album, an untethering of the straight jacket of expectations. Categories are tossed back to the game shows where they belong, and the music becomes music, gloriously expansive, explorative, and addictively melodic. The album dips and crescendos moment to moment, song to song with seamless ferocity. From the DMT-infused retro-space odyssey groove of "Kaleidoscope," to the Byrne-esque mayhem of "The Overview," to the contemplative hypnosis of "Simple Words," it quickly becomes apparent that the heart-strings are no longer merely resonating; they're playing full melodies that deftly counterbalance the compositions. The resulting experience is one that is visceral, impassioned, expansive - and yes, transcendent. |
