Maritime - Glass Floor

One might expect a lot from any project featuring members of the Promise Ring and the Dismemberment Plan. I know I sure did. Maritime neither disappoints nor overly impresses but hovers above a warm spot on their debut Glass Floor. I've always admired Davey von Bohlen's soft near-lisp vocals, and he plays them off with much more ease now than in his "emo" days. Anyway, Maritime has a straight-ahead poppy indie rock style maybe in the vein of an Americanized Belle & Sebastian or a much less quirky Flaming Lips. Not entirely original, but pleasant enough to forgive them for their lack of experimentation and applaud them for putting out something entertaining, warm, and engaging. The (somewhat) legendary J. Robbins lends his production skills and guitar work to Glass Floor, among other various guests adding occasional brass, strings, and keys to the mix. While mainstream "supergroups" never seem to work for the best, Maritime proves that on the indie level, you can successfully meld members of formerly successful bands and make something that isn't complete shit. [www.maritimesongs.com]