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"
The creativity of this band is really what got me hooked. The music they produce is grandiose, but not too over the top. It almost reminded me of an opera at times, just the way the songs hypnotically flow into each other, and the sometimes unexpected key changes (I have never been to an opera, that's just what I thought of for some reason).
ReplyDeleteThe instrumentation wasn't anything too special, but was still well executed. The lead singer's voice is impressively present, yet not too obnoxious or "screamy". I really liked the rhythmic guitars and drum beats, I found myself grooving along to a lot of the songs. The use of atmospheric synths is also a highlight for me. It may be kind of hard to notice them at times, but they really fill in a gap that would otherwise be missing.
As for the individual songs, I found few that I disliked. My favorites were the ones that you mentioned, but the last two songs were also big hits. If these songs weren't good, I would be inclined to agree that this album drags on, as I often feel that way about albums. However, that wasn't the case here. Both ending tracks sort of bring this album to a gentle close, with one final burst of energy in the middle of Louise Louisa.
Its hard to write about this this album for me. I found this album extremely pleasant to listen too. Its been one of my favorite albums featured on this blog. As such there's not much for me to complain about, so I'll just start talking about the things I liked!
ReplyDeleteYou were right about this being one continuous album. Its very hard to stop listening in the middle because you are constantly being hit with this often soaring music. I appreciate albums that do have this kind of flow. It makes it feel like one long journey, and the final two tracks are so soft that it feels like Mew is tucking you in after this adventure. That's probably a more cutesy vibe than their music actually sends across, but I think it's an apt metaphor.
I would also like to say that I enjoy the singer's voice very much. Its smooth and bright. I think it fits very well with the style of the album as well, and it seems to be right at home with the tracks featuring the piano prominently.
I think my only real knock against this album is that there's no one standout track. The album is very much an experience that I don't think would work as well when segmented. So I guess the takeaway here is that I will only listen to this album when I have time to enjoy the whole thing, and I will definitely be enjoying it.
Honestly my main complaint against this album is that it shows what Mew is capable of, so it just makes me disappointed in their album this year. It's an okay album, but not like this. You were right on the money, every track flows into one another creating one large work of art that engages the listener. It was impossible for me to listen to it in pieces, once I got started, I needed to finish.
ReplyDeleteI loved the guitar work, it felt expansive yet at the some time well polished and sharp. I'm not as keen eared for rhythm / drum work, but that also seemed very well done. The singer is clearly quite talented and their voice kept up well with the complex times and grooves. I didn't get a chance to really dig into the lyrics as much as I wish I could have, so I can't really speak on that, but my enjoyment certainly didn't suffer from that.
Erik is right in pointing out that there isn't a particular track that stands out, which is most likely purposeful. They want the album to be a sum of parts, not something to be picked up and moved into singles. It may be a bit lengthy, but it finishes well and never lost my interest.
Good choice Sam.
I will admit it was hard for me to get through a few listens of this album. From an objective standpoint, it has good and creative instrumentation and the guitar work, like Tyler said, does stand out. I also get what you mean that the album is continuous. The tracks do flow well together, but for me personally this takes away from the individual tracks. None of them really stood out for me, except for Saviors of Jazz Ballet this is was the one track I actually really liked due to the vocals and the drums.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, I had a hard time getting over how grandiose most of the tracks were. It's not a style I particularly enjoy so some of the singer's vocals weren't that great for me. I think it's really cool when he goes into his lower register, it comes across as more smooth and crisp for me.
I know my comment seems like I didn't really try to give the album a chance, but I did approach it as objectively as I could. Saviors of Jazz Ballet and Louise Lousia were the two tracks that stood out for me because of how different they were relative to the other songs. The rest blended into one another too much for them to be memorable for me. I was hoping there would be more diversity but I didn't really get that, but I guess now I can say I've listened to a Mew record!