Maps is (on record at least, understandably he ropes in some friends to help him with the live experience) “bedroom genius” James Chapman, a man who wrote and recorded this entire debut record on his 16-track recorder in his bedroom, with not so much as a ZX Spectrum in sight.
For an entirely solo offering, We Can Create is not far short of staggering. The amount of different sounds presented, from ethereal, soaring soundscapes to dark, almost industrial noise is astounding. There are nods to Flaming Lips and Sigur Ros, and particularly on the excellent “Back + Forth” a bit of Daft Punk thrown in for good measure. Lead single “It Will Find You” is an electronic ballad with a Massive Attack beat; exactly as it sounds, epic and sinister.
A singer-songwriter ploughing an entirely unique furrow? Definitely. One of the records of 2007 so far? Almost certainly.
