Hard-to-classify indie-rock from Denmark, who have released atleastone tremendous album and some other stuff that is worth a listen.Made up of vocalist Jonas Bjerre, bass player JohanWohlet, guitarist Bo Madsen, and drumer Silas Utke Graae Jorgenson, they began in 1977 with the album "ATriumph For Man".
Odd lyrics, odd time signatres, odd track changes create something of a unique sound, can't really think of much of anything to compare them too, which I always think of as a compliment....perhaps somewhat psychelic, maybe mating of Pink Floyd and Flaming Lips? I don't think that's too accurate, but it's the best I can come up with right now.
The next release, 2000's "Half the World Is Watching Me", opens with a Flamin Lip-like stunt as well....to here this properly, one must start with track and REWIND back to Track 0, "Ending", which is meant to be heard first. Ah, well.....a good effort, nevertheless, with wierd stuff like "I Am Wry, No", and "Saliva", in 2007 this was reissued with a bonus disc which did include some good material and is included here. The second disc includes some demo/live stuff, but is farly worth it.
All this would be fairly redundant, were it not for 2005's "And the Glass Handed Kites", a marvelous effort and one of the top albums of that year.....a sort of hard-rockin, Pink Floyd-like opus, sort of a song-suite with some fine track transitions.....LOVE this album, Im sure there must be some grand "concept" at work here, damned if I know WHAT, but the music works fine and sure souns great.....J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. contrbutes vocals on a couple tracks, but trust me on this one, this is an excellent effort that you want to hear, if you haven't before....
Wrapping this up with "No More Stories"from 2009, not NEARLY as good as it's predecessor, opinions are split....I DO know of a couple who really like this, myself I had hoped they'd build on "Glass", and I don't see it......but, as much as I love "Glass"perhaps my wish are unrealistc, as I just don't really care for this one too much......incidentally, the full title is a very long on, which appears below.
So as far as I know that is it for Mew....forgettable career, not for the majestic "And the Glass Handed Kites", one of the true masterworks of the 00's.....don't miss that one at least!
A TRIUMPH FOR MAN-01 Wheels Over Me/02 Beautiful Balloon/03 Wherever/04 Panda/05 Then I Run/06 Life Is Not Distant/07 Shadow Kick/08 Snow Flake/09 She Came Home For Christmas/10 Pink Monster/11 I Should have Been a Tsin-Tsi/12 How Things Turn Out To Be/13Web/14 CoffeeBreakHALF THE WORLD IS WATCHING ME DISC 1-01 I Am Wry, No/02 Mica/03 Saliva/04 King Christian/05 Her Voice I Beyond Her Years/06 156/07 Symmety/08 Comforting Sound/00 (Hidden) Ending
HALF THE WORLD IS WACHING ME DISC 2-01 Half the World Is Watching Me/02 Her Voice Is Beyond Her Years (Live)/03 Mica (Live)04 Wheels Over Me (Live)/05 Wherever (Live)/06 156 Demo)/07 Quietly (Demo)/08 Comforting Sound (Do I Look Like a Puerto Rican) (Demo)
FRENGERS-01 I Am Wry, No/02 156/03 Snow Brigade/04 Symmetry/05 Behind the Drapes/06 Her Voice Is Beyond Her Years/07 Eight Flew Over One Was Destroyd/08 She Came Home For Christmas/09 She Spiders/10 Comforting Sounds
AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES-01 Curcuitry of the Wolf/02 Chinaberry Tree/03 Why Are You Looking Grave/04 Fox club/05 Apocalypso/06 Special/07 The Zookeeper's Boy/08 A Dark Design/09 Saviours Jazz Ballet (Fear Me, December)/10 An Envoy to the Open Fields/11 Small Ambulance/12 The Seething Rain Weeps For You (Uda Pruda/13 White Lips Kissed/14 Louise Louisa
NO MORE STORIES ARE TOLD TODAY, I'M SORRY THEY WASHED AWAY//NO MORE STORIES, THE WORLD IS GREY, I'M TIRED LET'S WASH AWAY-01 New Terrain/02 Introducing Palace Players/03 Beach/04 Repeater Beater/05 Intermezzo 1/06 Silas the Magic Car/07 Cartoons and Macreme Wounds/08 A Dream/09 Hawaii/10 Vaccine/11 Tricks/12 Intermezzo/13 Somtimes Life Isn't Easy/14 Reprise
Let me know you thoughts on these.....have under-rated non "Glass" catalogue? Some may thinks so....have I OVER-rated "Glass"? Tell me what you think!
