Mae: Singularity

Another solid effort from Virginia pop-rock mavens

Everyone knows the classic Bible-verse-turned-Pete-Seeger-tune-turned-Byrds-hit-record declaring that there’s a time and a place for everything: “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to read The Wall Street Journal; a time for TheSuperficial.com,” etc. Well, it’s true. For all the high-minded indie rock, folk, alt.country, jazz and other supposedly cerebral music I enjoy—and that us rock critics love to blather on about—there are times when all I want to do is throw on a straightforward, potentially unremarkable rock album. Even then, I still enjoy high-quality product, so I turn to bands like Mae, who have the formula for the three- to four-minute rock song down pat. Melodic hooks, impassioned vocals and solid musicianship abound on Singularity, the third full-length from this Virginia quintet. The record is less epic than its predecessor, The Everglow, but it also feels a little less corny and more like a tightly focused rock album from a thoughtful, talented band.