EDITORIAL REVIEWS
This is the debut album by Mappe Of, an ethereal avant-folk tour de force that belongs to no time or place. Or perhaps not even of this Earth, judging by the range of haunting vocal textures or some of the interstellar synths that intertwine with trumpets, violins, kalimba, autoharp, and Mappe Of's own intricate guitar playing. He is still a young man; his lyrics are about reckoning with one's destiny and past, with balancing one's own mental health with that of loved ones, and the capacity to love. ''A handful of these songs are about struggling with putting your weight on another individual, asking them to bear burdens that you can't,'' he muses. ''Some are stories I've collected over the years from the perspective of others, some are my own firsthand experiences. All of them contain events and emotions that felt universal, but present themselves in unique ways.'' But for now, A Northern Star, A Perfect Stone is a sonic world unto itself, an aural landscape steeped in experience and imagination. ''I love records so much,'' he says. ''The record has always been paramount to me. I want to create a setting in which you can lose yourself. The ideal record for me is one where you can lie back on your bed, listen to thing front to back and be taken somewhere.'' Mission accomplished.

REVIEW
Much of what is know of the light electro-folk artist Mappe Of is a mystery. To start, the identity behind the larger-than-lifesound is unknown, except for the reference of ''he.'' The start to unravelling the enigma that is Mappe Of may begin, unbelievably, with just one man capable of producing a universe full of seemingly neverending sounds by his lonesome. The goal to create a delicate, electronic cloud of a song overtakes production design and mystifies every element.'' -- --Atwood Magazine

At this time, we know very little about Mappe Of, other than what we've heard in the hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric sounds laid down in the upcoming album's opening two tracks.'' -- --Indie 88