It’s hard not to like Maps & Atlases. Dig proggy, finger-tapped guitar noodles so fast your brain could melt? They do that. Like purdy melodies and bouncy, energetic pop songs? Everyone likes those things. See? They’re great. They’re playing DC9 tonight with Pattern Is Movement, a line-up guaranteed to destroy if there ever was one. Sometimes they answer questions:

1) You & Me & The Mountain almost sounds like an entirely different band from the one who made Trees, Swallows, Houses. Was the decision to focus on shorter, poppier songs a conscious one or something that happened organically?

I think it was something that was a little bit of both.  After Tree, Swallows, Houses we were able to pick out the things we liked in those songs, things that we felt were working, and when we started writing the songs that were to become Y+M+M, we were just naturally starting to write more concise songs.  We were working with more complete ideas from the get go and so it was a different process.  We ended up adding layers on to almost complete ideas instead of coming up with songs by getting in a room together and jamming out ideas.  I think as we continue to make music, we will naturally try to write songs that are more and more concise, but we also really enjoy coming up with ideas that have a certain sense of energy.

2) You guys sort of straddle the line between math rock and pop, two phrases that essentially mean nothing. However, do you find it hard to avoid getting lumped in with bands that are generally known for their technical proficiency and not much else?

I think it is a natural thing for people to want to classify music and art, and sometimes this can be negative, and unfortunately we sometimes get lumped in with bands that are very tcchnical.  And that’s not to say that what they are doing is bad, its in fact great, its just not our intention with music. Technicality is not what we thrive on.  We almost never start working on idea by trying to come up with something really technical.  That isn’t was songwriting is about for us. Technicality is more of a tool to achieve a certain feeling or level of energy.  So in a sense it can be hard because we sometimes feel misrepresented.

3) This current tour is with Pattern Is Movement, another group that is able to brilliantly reconcile this really impressive musicianship with songs that are pretty easily digestible. Were you fans of theirs before you learned you’d be touring together?

Totally.  They are good buddies of ours and we have been trying to put something like this together for a long time.  We played with them a few months ago in Chicago and were ecstatic when this tour came together. We love those guys as people and musicians and it was been wonderful being able to watch them perform every night.

4) How has the internet and its relationship to the music industry helped or hurt your band? Obviously, you’re able to tour almost full-time because of it and have opportunities that you might not have ten years ago but do you notice any drawbacks to this very fickle culture that eats up and spits out bands seemingly every nine seconds?

The internet has been really good to us in the sense that it has allowed people to hear our music and easily stay updated with our touring schedule.  I think without the internet, our music wouldn’t have been exposed to nearly as many people as it has.  It has been a really interesting grassroots process.  On the other hand, promoting and selling your music on the internet cuts out the physicality of it all. Things like vinyl, cds and even handprinted show posters are all great. My life as a musician is filled with them and its a sad thing to see them slowly die out.  But overall i think it is good to try and maintain a balance between digital and physical.

5)  Would you say you guys were directly affected by the scene in Chicago? I don’t know what’s like at exactly this moment, but there’s an undeniable jazz influence in your music that definitely seems like a product of earlier bands like Joan of Arc and Ghosts & Vodka.

Chicago is a great city for music and has a long, rich history.  There is no denying its influence on us, even though we wouldn’t necessarily say it was a direct one.  I think Chicago has a way of creeping into the art/music made in it.  We like to think that if you look hard enough, you can find a little bit of Chicago in our
music.  We have always loved bands like Sweep The Leg johnny and The Flying Ludenbachers and although we don’t think we sound like either of them, its hard to deny that they helped shape us as a band functioning in Chicago.

6) Where is the next album going? Would you say it’s a logical progression from the stuff on the EP or is it going in an entirely different direction altogether?

We feel like the full length is a logical progression from Y+M+M, but at the same time it is going to be pretty different.  We feel like this is our rock and roll record.  The songs are a lot more stripped down and simple but we feel like there is still the same energy there.  We record in April and couldn’t be more excited!

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catch them live tonight @ DC9