[2004] Mourning Maxwell - Our Collective Voice
Throw your stereo out the window, you've heard this one before.
Some bands start out playing something completely different than what they eventually become known for, whether it's because of member changes, commercial appeal, increasing musical proficiency or even just maturing and deciding to want to play something completely different. Take Mourning Maxwell; formed in early 2000 under the name Slowpoke, they played an amalgamation of skate- and pop-punk with elements of ska. The band released one album, Yesterday's Gone, and tirelessly toured the southwest US with the likes of Rx Bandits, Yellowcard and Finch, causing them to quickly gain a loyal following. But by the time 2003 rolled around, it became clear that the band wanted to try some new things.
Yesterday's Gone didn't boast fantastic production or even brilliant songwriting, but there were definitely faint glimmers of something special, glimmers that were being written into new songs. These songs were so different from the bands other material that a name change was in order and the band would continue as Mourning Maxwell from now on. In late 2003 they entered the studio with audio engineer Bob Hoag, known at the time for having worked with bands like Recover and The Format, who helped them turn the newly written songs into this excellent EP.
Starting off the EP with A Million Things At Once, it's immediately noticeable that this is a completely different band, one that isn't just having fun but is also confident about it. From the much improved vocals, to the dynamic guitar work and more engaging song structures. The song seamlessly transitions into the second track, Fedora, which is a two-minute long instrumental showcase of a solid rhythm section supporting dueling guitars. Even though the band has mostly abandoned their previous sound, there's still traces of pop-punk to be found throughout the EP and The Treatment even brings some downtempo ska vibes before flowing into the more aggressive closer, The Routine.
After having played Warped Tour three times and releasing a second, self-titled EP in 2005, the band decided to call it quits when guitarist Alex Kling moved away to finish college. They've played several reunion shows since and Our Collective Voice was recently re-issued digitally, adding acoustic renditions of five songs, which are definitely worth a listen if you like what you hear. It's a shame I discovered them so late and I wish there was more material by them, but at least we'll always have two great EPs.
