With the exception of a few moments, such as the on-and-off frenzy of "Guilt", Farewell To Introductions creates a melodic and blatantly mellow mood and sticks with it. Granted, if you're looking for something to wake you up with a bang and get your juices flowing in the morning, Maya Shore is not going to be helpful -- but if it's simplicity and peacefulness you're after, I can't think of a better place to start.

Armed with a lovely melodies, gentle vocals (which, wisely, are placed up-front in the mix to compensate for their relative lack of energy) and occasional assistance from a string section, Farewell To Introductions doesn't contain the sort of music that will blow you away with either innovation or blistering intensity. Instead, it offers a return to a more simplistic, yet equally powerful sound -- one I've found to be quite welcoming.

You could argue that no track is particularly distinct or separate from the music that preceded it, but if you listen to these pieces as a whole -- a continuous effort rather than a string of disconnected parts -- you'll find the effect quite satisfying. This isn't to say that the songs sound exactly alike; each tune builds on the next, adding subtle changes in flavor that may not be noticed on the first spin. Often, on the tracks that pass the six minute mark (and there are many of them), you'll find a wealth of sonic surprises.

Of particular interest is "She Went To China", which is, in places, the album's quietest track, and "July Eleventh Nineteen Ninety-Seven", which contains the album's prettiest melody, not to mention Aaron Young's eerie cello playing.

If you're looking for music to balance out a CD collection that's brimming with Sonic Youth and Sleater-Kinney, and you don't already own anything by Dashboard Confessional or any of the artists on the Hush label, Maya Shore may be a welcome addition to your music shelf. Come to think of it, if the works of the aforementioned "mellower" artists are prominently displayed in your collection, Farewell To Introductions will complement them nicely. It seems, then, that none of you have any excuse not to own this disc.