Mapache: From Liberty Street
There’s an easy, breezy California vibe throughout folk duo Mapache’s second album, From Liberty Street. Singer/guitarists Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci, who have risen to prominence in the Los Angeles-based cover band Grateful Shred, have a knack for gorgeous harmonies and simple folk songs. At times, From Liberty Street sounds like the Everly Brothers’ take on Workingman’s Dead or American Beauty. At other moments, the LP is reminiscent of New Riders of the Purple Sage, who Mapache covered on 2018’s Lonesome LA Cowboy EP. Produced by their Shred bassist Dan Horne, known for his work with Circles Around the Sun and Cass McCombs, From Liberty Street oscillates between more expansive full-band tracks, like the groove-based opener “Life on Fire,” and sparse duets, such as “Me Voy Pa’l Pueblo,” one of three songs sung in Spanish (a result of Blasucci’s time spent living in Mexico after high school). Mapache has a knack for evoking different moods and styles: “See Through” instantly transports you to Hawaii; “Cowboy” and “Coyote” both feel decidedly Californian; while “Cactus Flower” gets a twangy edge from guest Sara Watkins’ mournful fiddle. Unlike 2017’s selftitled debut, which was recorded live with one mic, From Liberty Street—named after the house the duo lived in while recording—is a more produced affair, but Horne’s touch is light. On the jaunty “Face Is Blue,” for example, Horne’s bass and percussive work drive the guitarists while his pedal-steel playing adds an eerie ambiance. Still, Mapache is at its best when Finch and Blasucci harmonize with each other—even in a wordless manner, such as on the mostly instrumental “Liberty Street Blues”—or other friends, like their Shred bandmate Austin McCutchen, who appears on the sparse albumcloser “I Just Steal Away and Pray.”
