On occasion we receive email from readers of the magazine who believe we haven't given a certain band a fair shake. For a website that reviews fifteen to twenty albums a week, this is an expected occurrence - it's impossible to make everyone happy all of the time, and it's said that only the complainers are likely to voice their mind. Nonetheless, I make a mental note of these grievances and try to revisit the artist later in the future to see if such claims are warranted and to do right by the fans. Maybeshewill is one such band.

On the surface it may seem a little silly that complaints were made in the first place. In 2005 I personally declared MSW a band to watch in my Tracking the Trends series before the British act split. The band has since reformed, changed members, recorded a few CDs - the debut received a 6.5 here, as did a split with Her Name is Calla - and ultimately tried to leave the 65daysofstatic shadow that its first few recordings securely placed it into. So, devoted fans are apparently upset that we've merely labeled MSW as "good" and not bestowed unprecedented praise upon the band's efforts. Fair enough, but perhaps it's becoming clear why complaining about positive reviews is somewhat a moot point...

In any case, I'll digress. A more interesting topic is that of MSW's core sound. Initially, critics were right to pin them as drawing from 65dos' musical pool, but somewhere in between 2006-2008, MSW decided to drift away from the electro rock sound and put more focus upon the rock. Some have likened the new, aggressive edge to that of Caspian or Russian Circles, but I see them occupying an area closer to From Monument to Masses or Gifts from Enola, as well as still having a significant crush on 65dos. All three of these bands have received wonderful accolades at TSB, so a mixture of them should hit the spot. Why this doesn't exactly work out for MSW is that the band lacks the vision of 65dos, the technical prowess of FMTM, and the carelessness of GFE.

Which is not to say that Sing the Word Hope in Four-Part Harmony isn't a good record, because it certainly is. It is good in the same way that Mogwai's The Hawk is Howling and This Will Destroy You's self-titled album are good: these records are good but still exhibit flaws that prevent them from being loved outside a small niche market. If Not for Want of Trying was inevitably stalled by its overly ambitious, schizophrenic nature (and it was), Sing the Word Hope in Four-Part Harmony instead suffers from overcompensation - the album is too narrow-minded. While MSW deftly demonstrates that it can write a rockin', red hot instrumental rock track in just under the four minute mark, the intrigue kind of ends there.

The first three tracks rock out from start to finish, stopping the show only to throw down some audio samples and the occasional misplaced interlude. What is missing is a distinct lack of progression in the music. MSW likes to rock, is great at rocking, but then seems to forget how to tie this back into a delicate framework. Perhaps this oversight is due to a desire to not sound like a post-rock band, but throwing in some audio samples over half-baked interludes doesn't qualify as appropriate variety.  The brevity of the music actually seems to play against MSW. The shorter tracks are creatively lacking, whereas the ones that break the six minute mark (the title track and "Accept and Embrace") elegantly fly without many problems. Indeed, the vocal sample in "Sing the Word Hope in Four-Part Harmony" sits above an active musical backdrop, and this amplifies the effect of the anti-consumerism message. In fact, the title track might just qualify as one of the year's best. "This Time Last Year" and "Last Time This Year" are also pretty solid; while not as spectacular as "Accept and Embrace" or the title track, they are definitely more interesting than the rest of the album. Do note that both of these were featured on the HNIC split, so they aren't exactly "new."

What's ultimately most frustrating about Sing the Word... is that there is some great material contained within, and MSW is a band that should know how to stitch together an enticing album. For whatever reason, the band has lost much of its experimental edge in this album and it's not necessarily for the best. Even though this results in some nice, restrained songs (such as the title track), it also contributes more than its share of banal music that prevents this from being a truly noteworthy experience. It's a double-edged sword that the band is going to have to live with for now.

So, here we are: another release from Maybeshewill, and another 6.5. While they have perhaps never lived up to the expectations I had for them, I do think the band has generally proven to be willing to experiment with its sound in a way that yields satisfactory and consistent results. MSW has yet to hit its stride though, and this is the best comment I can offer their fans at this point.

-Jordan Volz