10 Mar 2017 // A review by Corinne Rutherford
As soon as I saw the CD  the album artwork jumped out at me, a brilliant vivid and vibrant display reflecting the bands unconventional, slightly bohemian yet spiritually uplifting sound. The artwork is the creation of UK artist Mathew Cooper (Caribou, Franz Ferdinand), it certainly is a visual treat.

Weatherless is Simon Gooding and Bendon Morrows' second album, it has been produced and recorded entirely by the duo. Both are recording engineers as well as musicians and this shines through. It is made up of beautiful light and mostly upbeat tracks. Described as "atmospheric indie pop" the style of music they produce is slightly alternative but it certainly grows on you.

In keeping with the bands philosophy of "being truly present", I wanted to give Weatherless the attention that it deserved, I finally managed to find some spare time to sit and listen with nothing more to disrupt me other than the grumpy glare of a hungry cat. It is indeed an album which is worthy giving your full attention to, whilst perhaps tuning out the what if's of the past and concerns of the future. Just listen to the beautifully engineered and uplifting music and enjoy the moment (ignore head butts from hungry grumpy cat).

The first two tracks Colour and You and back reeled me in with the catchy beat and soft and soulful yet symbolic lyrics. This CD made it from my chill out space to the car (away from glaring cat eyes), I was listening to it on the way to work, all week. It had me hooked, an almost peaceful soundtrack to my morning madness.

As I progressed through the eleven tracks it became clear to me that this was a journey of discovery and spiritual enlightenment, leading to experimentation with different sounds and uniting in a smooth captivating compilation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album and I am still listening to it. These two guys from Auckland are firmly on my radar.

The Map Room combine their love for well-constructed pop songs and embellished instrumentation with themes of displacement and motion inspired in part by their travels through South America.

Brendon Morrow and Simon Gooding met while studying Audio Engineering in Australia, and upon returning to their hometown of Auckland the pair began to write music together. During a year-long trip from Argentina to Colombia, the duo developed their sound by writing and playing shows along the way.

Armed with a portable recorder and two old acoustic guitars purchased from an antique store in Buenos Aires, the pair set off on their odyssey and began writing and recording the ?rst fragments of new songs. As the transient nature of their year unfolded, lyrical themes of movement, displacement and strange encounters began to rise to the surface.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for The Map Room

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