Mew is a cool band, even though some of their lyrics and sounds can sometimes make it seem like that is not the case.  Their best example of general badassery is their 2005 album "And the Glass Handed Kites".  The album is a single continuous suite - the songs flow into one another.  The time signatures are all over the place, making this a prog-lovers modern dream.  The instrumentation is fabulous, with some really intricate guitar parts.  The rhythm section holds down some very tricky parts.

You'll recognize a familiar guest voice if you like 90's rock on Why Are You Looking Grave?, which, in my opinion, is the first standout track.  The transition from Fox Cub to Apocalypso is an absolutely incredible moment and my favorite part of the album.  Other favorites include The Zookeeper's Boy, and Saviours of Jazz Ballet.

The album does drag on a bit towards the end, which holds it back from being a perfect (or very close to it) record, but it's still pretty damn close for me.  Lots of memories of listening to this album while driving through a country I'd never been to, so there's some sentimental value there too.  Hope you like it.

One thing to note - on Spotify I think they add some extra tracks at the end that don't really make sense...here's the tracklisting:

1. "Circuitry of the Wolf"   2:45

2. "Chinaberry Tree"   3:33

3. "Why Are You Looking Grave?" 3:50

4. "Fox Cub"   1:15

5. "Apocalypso"   4:46

6. "Special"   3:12

7. "The Zookeeper's Boy"   4:43

8. "A Dark Design"   3:29

9. "Saviours of Jazz Ballet (Fear Me, December)"   3:18

10. "An Envoy to the Open Fields" 3:40

11. "Small Ambulance"   1:05

12. "The Seething Rain Weeps for You (Uda Pruda)"   4:18

13. "White Lips Kissed"   6:45

14. "Louise Louisa"  

7:18 AM

"Krill, Krill, Krill forever..." Whether exchanged in passing with friends or screamed in a crowd of a few hundred people at a dumpy bar, these words and this band are an icon among the Boston music scene. When the band announced it's breakup in September this year (about a week after I moved here) there was a sense of mourning among the music kids here. At almost every show I went to I heard conversations about Krill: stories of past shows they had been to, how great the guys in the band were, and friends lamenting that they had only a handful more shows to play. Luckily, I got here just in time and got to see them twice on their last run of shows, but there was still a sense that I had missed the chance to participate in the most special part of the community built around Krill.

At their last show they ended with "Theme from Krill", which at first I thought was pretty ironic, but then I realized it was actually more fitting than ironic. They never meant "Krill forever". They always knew this band was a temporary thing, but much like college and youth in general, we go into it with a mentality of immortality and act like everything we build will last forever when, in reality, we know deep down people will move away and lives will go on. "Krill forever" doesn't mean that Krill would or should last forever, but that projects and relationships should be treated as something so important it will last forever and that, if done right, these things will live forever in the memories of the people who were there to witness how special they were.

So anyway, you probably don't care about college kids in sweaty bars in Boston, but this is your peak into the scene. You may have heard their album from this year, A Distant Fist Unclenching, because it got a lot more popular than this one, but this one is much better, trust me. Krill and Pile are probably the best examples of what everyone is making here and if you want to hear more let me know because there's a lot of cool stuff happening here. The lyrics in this album are also very much a representation of the college experience. Social awkwardness, insecurities, inability to stay out of trouble, the fight against injustice, seeking people who understand you. It makes me nostalgic for a time I haven't even really had yet and I love it. Enjoy.

8:45 AM