Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss. by Maps [7/10]

Fourth album from James Chapman, known as Maps, an absurdly talented studio creator of electronic-based songs, is called “Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss” And it’s a creation that seems to echo all those expansive ideas, a major unfurling into a quasi-symphonic extravaganza replete with other vocalists and musicians, even a string ensemble. Chapman’s songs range from quirky to pastoral, his voice sounds like half a dozen different touchstones. The ambience is lush and sometimes poppy, sometimes pastoral. What a blissful listen! My core tracks are the opener, “Surveil,” more Grandaddy than the original; the long, grandiloquent “Wildfire” with its unforgettable chorus; and “You Exist in Everytning,” a rolling, sweet anthem.