“A Melody, the Memory” by Mae, Saturday, February 25, 2023

 

In 2009, Mae embarked upon an novel musical project for the time. After being dropped by Capitol Records, the band decided to make music independently, releasing a new song every month on their website. Fans could donate as little as a dollar to receive each song with the profits from the songs going to a different charity each month. In addition, Mae compiled the songs in three EPs, (m)orning, (a)fternoon, and (e)vening. 

WHEN YOU SING, DO YOU SLIP AWAY? The EPs (m)orning, (a)fternoon, and (e)vening cleverly created an acrostic with the band’s name with the three main divisions of a day’s time. All of Mae’s records have been conceptual in their pursuit of a multi-sensory aesthetic experience. Songs and records themselves evoke connections between phenomena. In terms of (m)orning, the band posted on the message board of their website:

        Morning represents the beginning to the day, the beginning of the year, the 

        beginning of life . . . [January - April] This is the season to focus on youth and help

        instill appreciation for music and the arts . . .  These are the issues of Morning: 

        (M)usic (A)rt (E)ducation.

The series of EPs for Mae was bigger than one record. The concept was a slice of life encapsulated in a few hours in a day. But the concept was even bigger. Rather than making music under the model of a label, the band set out to make a difference with their music by giving to charities; in the case of (m)orning, the band set out support music and arts education for youth.

LET IT TAKE YOUR THERE. The music on (m)orning is all about beginning. It’s a beautiful spring record. It’s not yet spring, but there seems to be a spring like energy that comes at the beginning of the year. We hope to do better than we did last year as we make plans for our future. Next week, the school year starts in South Korea. Also, Korea has a different recognition of the seasons. In the southern parts of Korea the trees start blooming in late February and you can see spring shopping promotions already starting. “A Melody, the Memory” is the 6th of 8 tracks on the EP and one of the most spring-like along with “Two Birds.” “A Melody” compares falling in love to the elements of a song coming together. Unfortunately, those of us who listen to music only through streaming cannot hear the EPs as originally intended unless we piece them together on YouTube as in 2017 the band released a compilation of the three EPs as (M)(A)(E), losing some of the tracks from (m)orning. I’ve not always been a fan of everything Mae has done artistically; I have a deep appreciation for their concepts, but yet I sometimes fail to appreciate them. However, I think (m)orning is one of the band’s best pieces of music after The Everglow. The band doesn’t shy away from long tracks with “The Fisherman’s Song” (We All Need Love) and “The House the Fire Built.” Their instrumentals capture the mood of the title. And ultimately, we feel that it is morning, from the sacred peaceful hours to when the world wakes up just before noon. I only wish that (a)fternoon made me feel like afternoon or that (e)vening didn’t make me so sleepy.

Read the lyrics on Genius.