I’m writing this from a cramped table at a local cafe here in San Francisco’s Mission District, sipping on what appears to be steamed milk with a hint of chai.

Why am I painting such a specific scene, with such an added emphasis on a meaningless cup of milky chai?

Well, if you haven’t noticed, I enjoy complementing my musical dissections with personal anecdotes. Just go with it. Anyway, I originally thought it would be a great idea to enjoy a chai latte, but since it was fairly late, I decided it would be better without the caffeine. Hence, the steamed milk with a touch of chai.

I bring this up not because I enjoy talking about Chai, or about San Francisco. No, I bring this up because listening to Mazes is a lot like sipping on my milky concoction. Take a deliciously diverse base, and add a hint of your favorite flavor and you’ve got a winner (or at the very least, something better than a loser). 

In this case, that delicious base is a choice blend of 60’s and 70’s rock melodies, with a touch of Dinosaur Jr. inspired vocals. Alright, so that may not be the best comparison I’ve ever made. But it does illustrate the point I was trying to make. 

This is my favorite song by them. This cup of chai? Not my favorite. But then again, I did ask for it.