Since the final Lullaby for the Working Class album in 1999, Ted Stevens has primarily been a backing player and collaborator with Cursive. Mayday is his first solo album, however, one could say this is not a solo album at all but rather a reincarnation of Lullaby, as all the members of Lullaby appear on the album. However, for Stevens' sake, it's better to classify this as a solo work, as Old Blood is uneven and seems more like a mining of the vaults of old tapes rather than fully developed songs. The album is bookended by two very good songs, "Cinquefoils" and "Temple/Temporary/Extempore/Tempo," however, the music inbetween is substandard for those expecting Lullaby-like consistency.
The disappointing songs seem either underdeveloped or impersonal. "Come Home" is a dirge made with just rhythm guitar that would sound like a middle-of-the-night recording if it wasn't for the backing vocals. It is emotionally bare but relatively cliche, the uninspired guitarwork causing the song to drag lifelessly. For other songs, Mayday doesn't even bother to execute them fully, like "Lullaby for the Sleeping Elephant" that cops the melody to "Silent Night" but can't even get that right. "Confession" features Spanish guitar and guest vocals from Bright Eyes' Connor Oberst, however the song seems contrived, like a song with manufactured lyrics just so the album could feature a guest spot from Connor Oberst.
Lullaby for the Working Class fans will not be entirely disappointed though, as "Cinquefoils" is very reminiscent of that band's more pop moments. The song starts with a fast-paced bass pulse, and the song keeps this pace, creating a song that is about as pop as Stevens can get. Those willing to allow Stevens to indulge on his more experimental side will also enjoy "Temple/.../Tempo" which somehow transitions from feedback to slowcore to monster rock over the course of its epic ten minutes.
I'm not really sure what Ted Stevens is trying to do with this project and album, as the more bare solo recordings seem half done and the full-band pieces seem clinical and uninspired. What's even more puzzling is that some of the better-realized songs on this CD (15 minutes worth) are hidden before the first track.
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