Map began as a revolving door with one steady fixture: Josh Dooley. Dooley formed Map in the year 2000, and with the revolving door in affect, recorded two EPs: Eastern Skies, Western Eyes (Velvet Blue Music) and Teaching Turtles to Fly (Velvet Blue Music). These EPs served as an early showcase of Dooleys talents with special regard to creating melodies, writing hooks, and exercising guitar chops.It wasnt until 2003, however, when Map released Secrets By The Highway (Velvet Blue Music), that his impressive musicianship was truly showcased. This album is full of finely crafted melodies and guitar hooks that are as subtle as they are substantive--hooks Dooley would later be known by. He had struck an almost ideal balance between pop and rock, a working canvas for Dooley's undeniable skills in guitar playing and song writing. He was on his way to nailing the proverbial it.Then in the summer of 2004, Map released their second full length record, Think Like An Owner (Velvet Blue Music). This time, he was backed by what had become his consistent line-up: Loop (bass), Heather Bray (guitar, voice) and Ben Heywood (drums). This record was a conscious departure from Secrets for Dooley, a departure in a positive direction:I have the Woody Allen work ethic of just continuing to work. What was wrong with the last project wont be repeated in the next project. We made a decision to not repeat ourselves with Think Like An Owner, and even though we all love Secrets, we thought, Why do Secrets part two?Owner maintained the quality pop song crafting and seemingly effortless and catchy guitar hooks fans had now come to expect from Dooley, but it built on this, introducing a darker and more mature vibe to the music via post-punk, angular guitars and crashing cymbals.Making albums is an emotional rollercoaster for me. It is an art, a business, a hobby. I have to take it seriously, but not too seriously, because I know it isn't saving lives, says Dooley.Dooleys music might not be saving lives, but it has gained him a plethora of rabid fans who revere him at indie guitar god statusquite a reputation to live up to.Fans will find him living well up to his reputation with the release of Maps forthcoming EP San Francisco in the 90s. Maps revolving door has brought in some new additions to support this new record: Paul Akers (keyboards) and Trevor Monks (drums). Together the threesome have found a collective sound that gives tribute to late-80s Brit pop and mid-60s American jangle rock. This infectious combination of sounds, combined with Dooleys clear talent for song-writing, makes this new album his best to date.
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“This(Secrets by the highway) is one of the best guitar pop albums of 2003†Tangzine.comDooley has steadily become a master of all things guitar, and since 2000, his songwriting has
consistently strengthened and soared. Dooley has never been quiet about his love for The Smiths, and influences like
Belle & Sebastian and Red House Painters aren't exactly hidden. This EP sums up all the aforementioned influences,
and manages to take things one step further, in that the actual songwriting cannot be touched. The Black and White Magazine
Map is one of those great obscure little bands that--for one reason or another--has not yet
caught on with a large number of people. If you're the sort of person who is always on the lookout for that unknown yet completely
incredible unknown underground artist or band...you can do yourself the grandest favor of all by
checking out the Riverside, California-based band Map. Baby Sue (6 out of 6, made top pick twice San Francisco in the 90s)really beautiful little pop machines that shake and tremble without being totally self conscious. accessible for those of us who need to be spoonfed our pop, but it's totally able to stand up to a more in-depth listening session say a year from now. Shmat records (Secrets by the highway)"Map makes beautiful, relaxing, intricate nostalgia-pop that runs somewhere
along the lines of The Autumns, Mogwai and Belle and Sebastian" MeanStreet"Map writes intricate dream-pop songs that scream summertime love..in a David
Lynch kinda way" Lollipop"There's a definate twist of mellow indie rock, a softness that reminds of
the Sea and Cake, or a mellower Archer Prewitt grooving a Pedro The Lion
Slide" The Big Takeover"...focused , colorful and atmospheric, with a glint of '60s California pop
running beneath-pretty, in that Nick Drake/Velvet Underground
gimme-some-heroin sorta way." Orange County weekly"Subtle yet fantastic" Babysue"Sweet and pensive, Map play beautiful tunes that you can easily lose
yourself within" Highwire DazeDooley's guitar work is so noticeably strong that it's easy to overlook the songwriting. He's always been an impressive
musician. But the songwriting, this is where Map has grown
leaps and bounds over previous releases. Secrets By The
Highway is diverse (with rockers, mellow pop, classic pop,
ballads) but tied together by pop songcraft and the
dedication to deliver complete songs, not just flashy guitar . Tidalwave magazine
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