Song of the Day: Maps – To The Sky

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. The podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is by Maps and is found on the 2007 album We Can Create released on Mute:

Maps – To The Sky (MP3)

Armed with a 16-track and a sequencer, Northampton’s James Chapman, the man behind Maps, writes and records cool, breezy songs in his own bedroom. The music is a captivating blend of space-rock, trip hop, electronica and psychedelia that is often (and justly) compared to My Bloody Valentine, Spiritualized, Flaming Lips, Grandaddy and, because of Chapman’s work with Icelandic producer Valgeir Sigurdsson, Sigur Ros. While none of these comparisons can quite capture the ethereal essence of Maps’ debut release, We Can Create, they all evoke a similar liberating sensation that one gets from Maps in large doses.

Here’s a video for Map’s first single on Mute, “It Will Find You”