The Maldives’ Listen to the Thunder will be released on Sept. 15

Published 7:00 am Tuesday, August 4, 2009

The Maldives’ Listen to the Thunder will be released on Sept. 15 on Mt. Fuji Records. Like many of my press colleagues, I’ve got a copy now, and am happy to report that it’s a fine record with nary a miss among its tracks. But there’s one song, “Walk Away,” that really stands out — to the point where I can say it’s easily the best local (if not national) track I’ve heard all year.You’re not likely to hear this one on the radio, unless there’s a truncated alternate cut available for jocks — because the version on the album clocks in at over 10 minutes. What starts as a methodical, spare, heartfelt ballad with singer-songwriter Jason Dodson’s gravy-thick voice as the focal point slowly — and we mean slowly — melts into a scorching, dueling-guitar instrumental that goes on forever. But the thing of it is, you never want it to end. It’s this quality that separates elite works of art — be they songs, books, or films — from those that are merely good.