Q&A with Dave Davison of Maps and Atlases

“I am very excited about coming back to Bloomington,” lead singer and guitarist of Maps and Atlases Dave Davison said. “We love college towns in general, but Bloomington is such a fun town to do gigs at.”

Davison, along with the rest of Maps and Atlases will be returning to campus at 9 p.m. today at The Bishop.

After making it through a Chicago style traffic jam, Davison had the chance to chat about “Perch Patchwork,” the band’s first full-length album, the band’s layered sound and their recent European tour.

IDS How does Maps and Atlases new album, “Perch Patchwork,” differ from the band’s previous recordings and EP’s?

DAVISON There is a lot more of a diverse sound and instrumental tone than our previous recordings. We were very excited to branch out and try new and different sounds that provided a lot of different textures and layers within each song. We tried to spread out the overall flow of the music to make it something that would leave a longer impact on the audience.

IDS It’s noted on your Myspace that your sound is “intricate and organic.” What creative process allows you to blend such smooth vocals with rough beats and guitar sounds?

DAVISON We learned just by playing together for so long what works naturally and intuitively for us. As a group we have learned what works well when we play together, and try to think of different sounds to create the most concise and clear music possible.

IDS Who does a majority of the songwriting? Is it a collaborative process?

DAVISON It has changed over the course of our band’s existence. Sometimes I will bring in lyrics and then the band will work out music, other times Erin (Elders) and I will collaborate to writing the music and lyrics.

IDS Your recent European tour received good reviews, where would you say your music is best received, Europe or the United States?

DAVISON The one month tour in Europe was great. We had a blast, even when playing the smaller shows we still were able just to sit and chat with people and keep the personal feel in each show. We had the same experience with our tour in the U.S. over the summer though, too. Our fans have been great and really received the new music well.