What does a band do when they open for a headliner that's clearly at the top of their game? Cults and Laura Stevenson & The Cans found themselves in that position the other night at The Middle East. It would be unfair to not at least give lip service to the two openers. Both bands put on great performances despite playing for a crowd that was mostly there to see Maps & Atlases.

Neither opener plays especially technical music that could be filed under the math-rock tag, but neither do Maps & Atlases anymore; their new album is much less focused on technical playing and instead concentrates on creating something more generally appealing and comfortable. The choice of openers should help dispel the reputation that Maps & Atlases have as being a no-frills technical rock band – they've got soul, and they've got the friends to prove it. But despite their talented tour mates, Maps & Atlases emerged from the show as the clear standout.

Based on their performance that night, it's obviously not enough to say that Maps & Atlases is touring in support of their new album. Rather, they're touring to show off a record they're genuinely proud of. Both of the band's bass drums (one was positioned at the front of the stage for auxiliary percussion) had heads featuring artwork in a style similar to the artwork on the cover of Perch Patchwork. Speaking of that second bass drum, it was used to impressive effect on “The Charm,” when everyone in the band except singer/guitarist Dave Davison played drums and percussion like their lives depended on it. After that song, the band had most of the audience under a spell until their set came to an end.

After their final song, Maps & Atlases announced their decision to play a short set outside the venue, where it wasn't quite so hot. It was difficult to hear the band play outside without being a foot away from them, but the gesture once again showed that the band is passionate about what they're doing and want to share their music with as many people as possible. And it seems as though fans of the band are receptive too; the majority of the audience came to watch them play outside after the show, though most were too timid to sing along on the open sidewalk rather than in the cramped venue. As one person I briefly spoke to outside said, it's difficult to sing along with Maps & Atlases. Most of their fans know the vocal melodies, but few actually know the words to their songs. But despite that, the band had the audience eating out of their hands both indoors and out and, at the very least, trying to sing along. Perhaps that partly explains the appeal of Maps & Atlases – when vocals can be used as another instrument, a song can be interpreted in as many ways as there are emotions.