the MEW thread

Someone tell me more about this Mew. "Comforting Sounds" is all grandiose gorgeousness. LP is not in any non-online store I frequent. Worth the download? Previous album any good?

Anybody heard other Danish bands whose albums I didn't get the chance to find - Kitty Wu and Moi Caprice?

Anyway. It's what I wanted Sigur Ros to sound like. Lots of great ridiculous singing, very obvious attention to detail, songs that start out differently to their beginning (Am I Wry? No in particular gets props for having all three) and not really that shoegaze-y at all.

http://www.wherever.cjb.net/

new 5 track promo doing the rounds. bits of it are *fabulous*

The track they did with Stina Nordenstam was predictably genius.

Had a quick listen last night and off 1st go it sounds magic - More proggy sounding than Frengers but with some genius hooks and top quality songs in there - Very impressed

Anyway, buy it!

Because I have a car and lots of my friends don't, I often make them listen to ...And The Glass-Handed Kites when driving. They usually like it a lot but then never ask about it later. This mostly pleases me. It's now had a Pitchfork review (thanks, Nitsuh) but I bet it still won't make a dent. This also pleases me. Very personal music.

...And the glass handed kites = still waiting for it to click, hasn't yet :-(

I took the plunge at lunch yesterday and listened to the first half on the way to work this morning. I'm pretty impressed, there's some damn decent ensemble playing in those songs. I also love the sort of metallic post-punk guitar tones, keyboards doubling vocal melodies, and smooth segues from song to song. The whole affair is still kind of silly, but if it makes me rock out on the bus at 8 am it's probably doing a couple of things right. It's the kind of derivative but really solid and agenda-free music I try hard to root for.

there's a thousand other reasons why i like it so much, but the perfectly-pitched bombast is what i keep noticing (predictably, i guess).

Just bought the new one yesterday after hearing it once halfway through...one of those that you hear the first time and think, yes, I'll be enjoying this many times in the future. Have not heard Frengers yet but am looking forward to it.

there is a new one?!

or are you talking about the one that came out nearly 2 years ago :|

I also love the sort of metallic post-punk guitar tones

Are you kidding me?

I'm listening to a Mew song (for the first time) right now, and it sounds like the horrific, derivative baby of a Coldplay/Sigur Ros union. I have this mental image of the Icelandic guy fucking Chris Martin while they harmonize to this bombastic (the Queensryche comparison is spot on) mess of an arrangement. Please God, NO.

new hyper-pretentious titled one

No more stories
Are told today
Im sorry
They washed away

No more stories
The world is grey
Im tired
Lets wash away

with three songs from the recent e.p., achieves occasional epic liftoff. still digesting, still waiting for the superELOtramp moments promised me

I also love the sort of metallic post-punk guitar tones

Are you kidding me?

no "stephen" i was not kidding i like the scratchy metallic telecaster tone these guys use.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2379/mew2.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbQLeYkeYK0

If you play the track "New Terrain" backwards, it reveals another song, "Nervous."

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 is the upcoming fifth studio album by the Danish band Mew. It will be released in Scandinavia on August 19, the UK on August 24, and the United States on August 25. It will also be available for digital purchase on August 17.

According to Jonas Bjerre, this album will be happier, "dancier", and more upbeat than its predecessor, And the Glass Handed Kites, which had a dark theme of fear.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/Mew-No-More-Stories-Cover.jpg

1. New Terrain
2. Introducing Palace Players
3. Beach
4. Repeaterbeater
5. Intermezzo 1
6. Silas The Magic Car
7. Cartoons and Macramé Wounds
8. Hawaii Dream
9. Hawaii
10. Vaccine
11. Tricks of the Trade
12. Intermezzo 2
13. Sometimes Life Isn't Easy
14. Reprise

These guys were great in concert a few weeks back. Have high-ish hopes. 2nd track isn't what I wanna see as a Charlton fan, mind.

Despite the questionable cover art and the Fiona Apple inspired title, I am quite enjoying this. Might just be my favorite of theirs yet (but tbh, have not heard anything before Frengers. "Reprise" is softly killing me right now.

On first listen it sounds like a less bombastic 'Kites' and maybe a little lazy, repeating a lot of the same songwriting and arrangement ideas as previous records.

But every Mew release has taken time to settle in with, I was horrified at 'Kites' on first listen, now I love it, except it has the worst cover of any record in recent history imo.

Hm, I like them when they're bombastic and proggy. I'd love to see them go all the way in the direction of "The Circuitry of the Wolf/Chinaberry Tree". I'm eager to hear the new one anyway since Kites is basically my favourite thing ever.

Oh, I really like this. It sounds like they've preserved their strengths but are branching out a bit more with some complex or non-standard rhythms, elaborate melodies, and polyphony and fewer standard verse-chorus song forms. The vocals seem to shoot even higher than before at times. "Cartoons and Macrame Wounds" is dazzling.

BTW, are the first two albums worth seeking out? To my ears, Frengers is enjoyable but rather slight compared to Kites or the new one. "156" and "Snow Brigade" are really good though.

New compilation on the way, "Eggs are funny" (out this or next month, depends on where you live, according to mewsite.com )

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9o7mpJoPd1qzmlfno1_500.jpg

Contains one new track, streaming here and there's going to be a special edition with a DVD - tracklist:

1. “Am I Wry? No”
2. “Snow Brigade”
3. “Introducing Palace Players”
4. “Beach”
5. “Silas the Magic Car”
6. “Wheels Over Me”
7. “Saliva (New Mix)”
8. “She Came Home for Christmas”
9. “Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy”
10. “Do You Love It?”
11. “Eight Flew Over, One Was Destroyed”
12. “156″
13. “Special”
14. “The Zookeeper’s Boy”
15. “Comforting Sounds”

totally stopped listening to Mew somewhere around the time of ..Glass Handed Kites. how is his more recent stuff? any particular highlights?
i really must check out that compilation.

The only one I ever listen to anymore is Frengers, tbh.

wow the engineer I was working with this weekend was REALLY into this guy

So, they still exist, apparently:

"First teaser of new Mew app is out

Dear Frengers and alikes all over the planet of sound.

The fountain of wonderfulness will soon start to flow. We are happy to present to you the first teaser of the new app we have created with B&O PLAY. The app is called ‘Sensory Spaces' and it all starts here:



http://www.sensoryspaces.com

The full version will be launched (free of charge) leading up to the first single off our new album, later in the Summer!

We are looking forward to seeing some of you in the next days. We'll be playing Vega in Copenhagen tonight, Hultsfredfestivalen on Thursday, Provinssirock on Friday and Bergenfest on Saturday.

Sincerely, Silas, Jonas, and Bo"

Upcoming shows:

12/6 Vega, Copenhagen
13/6 Hultsfredfestivalen
14/6 Provinssi Rock
15/6 Bergenfest
8/8 Smukfest
10/8 Summer Sonic, Tokyo
8-11/8 Summer Sonic, Osaka
8/11 Ja Ja Ja Festival, London

They are returned.

http://allstonpudding.com/mew-announces-new-album-shares-satellites/

definitely their best ever cover art

Oh cool!

new song feat. kimbra http://scarywitch.tumblr.com/post/109933652451/you-bring-the-night-believer-the-wrong-key

very very very psyched for this album

Whoa, I only found out about this now. There are no real surprises with these new songs but they're totally enjoyable. I still love the last two albums and am looking forward to this.

Glad to hear about this. It's been much longer than I imagined.

http://www.npr.org/2015/04/19/399615381/first-listen-mew

album is GREAT

Can't wait.

What's on the second disc of the deluxe version?

no idea

wow @ "rows"

stream not available in my country :(

What's on the second disc of the deluxe version?

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Monday, April 20, 2015 7:17 PM (2 hours ago)

A live CD, apparently.
http://www.recordstore.co.uk/recordstore/Special-Offers/-Deluxe-Edition/4F8302BQ000

1. Coffee Break (Live)
2. Satellites (Live)
3. She Spider (Live)
4. Hawaii (Live)
5. My Complications (Live)
6. Silas The Magic Car (Live)
7. Water Slides
8. Cross The River On Your Own (Live)
9. Special (Live)
10. The Zookeeper’s Boy (Live)

Not sure I want that, might just get the regular version.

stream not available in my country :(

Mine either.:(

The embedded stream here seems to work everywhere:

http://www.thefourohfive.com/news/article/stream-mew-s-new-album-142

Oh, thanks! Will listen tonight.

"Rows" is wonderful, yeah. On the fence about the rest so far, although I don't dislike anything.

fuuuck the end of "Rows" needs to be at least 4 mins longer

holy shit @ 'rows'

despite starting the thread i never kept up with this guy. so his recent stuff is pretty good right?

this album's cool & yeah, mew have been stirred into action by our 10-minute songs poll

And the Glass Handed Kites and No More Stories are serious contenders for my favourite rock albums of the 21st century so far.

Kites is the one I always go back to. Not crazy about the new one but will give it another shot. His sound is so saturated and compressed that it's difficult to listen to.

Yeah, I think that hits the nail on the head re one of the obstacles with this. Kites is my OPO too.

i think this is their most song-oriented record since frengers except the songs are way more dense. they're all really great, though? like "witness" is kind of the perfect consolidated 3-minute mew song

Predictably, it has started sucking me in.

Do you listen to the whole thing at once, or allow yourself to skip around? I have a feeling the impact would be a lot greater if you force yourself to go the distance.

I'm still listening to the fourohfive stream tbh, so I mostly put the whole thing on.

"making friends" is actual ecstasy

thaaaaaaat guitaaaaaaaaaaaaar

"MY COMPLICATIONS"!!!!!
i'm DEAD

Making friends is great, maybe the best thing on here?

for SUCH a long time i didn't KNOW if i'd find you
someTHING
someTHING
crying on the bathroom floooooooooor

"making friends" = mew finally wrote a scritti politti song

Yeah, I love "Water Slides". Not sure what to make of the bass sound on "Making Friends".

I don't think I noticed a prominent guitar line on "Making Friends"? I like the melodies in "Clinging to a Bad Dream" a lot.

I don't think I noticed a prominent guitar line on "Making Friends"

it's that popping post-discoy guitar on the verses

uberweiss potentially referring to the hella bent notes in the bridge

Ah.

to be fair i have no idea what any instruments are but yeah the bit that comes in during the verses
assuming i know what a verse is

No, you're right; I get what you were referring to. It's a memorable line; not sure it's my favourite sound, personally.

"cross the river on your own" is just so gorgeous

I think that, listening casually,I had assumed that was a slapped/popped bass played in its high register because of the tone and popping playing style. Listening now, you're probably right. I watched a couple of live clips where that part seems to be left out altogether.
xpost

(or synth bass sound)

i like this album a bunch but its been way overcompressed in mastering which bugs me a lot, it actually sounds better on my broken blown-out earbuds than my nice headphones since it prevents me from being able to hear all the instruments pulse in and out as they push each other out of the way

the songs are fantastic though

we're writing cursi-ive
to
our signs
our water slides

it's alright now
anything you can wish for you can do

btw the mastering doesn't bother me as much anymore, funny how that works. probably my fav record of the year so far

yeah this is superb

it's like a whole album of 'white lips kissed'

sort of

Look forward to hearing this, are they still doing the cut bars thing?

if they are it comes off as completely natural, i.e. i can't think of an example but that's because they're so well-integrated. will relisten and look out for it

They slayed yesterday in Amsterdam. Fantastic show.

Hmm, I'm pissed off at myself because I'm really not sure about any of this on first listen, some of the tracks have these kinda suspect C*ldplay dynamics (Interview The Girls) I'm feeling there's not a lot that is harmonically rich enough, the twinkly bits aren't twinkly enough and the twists and turns that I like in Mew songs don't seem to be apparent at first, imma stick with it though.

Werent some Coldplay and Mew members together in a band?

First listen of the new album sounds great.

Christ, even the expanded reissues of the first 2 albums are getting too expensive.

They need a b-sides/bonus tracks compilation so badly.

Really love +-, wonderful album. "Clinging To A Bad Dream" is particularly amazing.

It's been a terrific run from Frengers to this. Hope they can keep it up and that the recent departure of a band member doesn't hurt them too much.

good interview in tape op, too

Guitarist Bo Hansen recently left the band after being there from the beginning. He has such a distinctive style that I wonder if the band will get over this loss.

its been way overcompressed in mastering which bugs me a lot

Agree with this but I'm listening p obsessively.

Shout out to Sund4r for namechecking my favourite Mew song :)

This is the best Mew album

(+/-, that is)

:)

New song: http://www.stereogum.com/1865793/mew-count-to-ten-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

Apparenty, it's from some sort of Transformers-themed compilation. I like the song a lot, though.

New Mew : )

"We have some exciting news for you.
We're releasing a new album called 'VISUALS' on April 28th."

"Carry me to Safety" is grand, also the first time in recent memory a band has released the closing song first

Cool track, yeah.

Parts of it remind me of a 70s prog track, I think. Maybe something by Yes?

Kites is still my favourite thing by them.

Looking forward to new album.

I can kinda hear Ripple-era Genesis I guess, It has much more in common with a 21st Century Proggy band like North Atlantic Oscillation, to my ear at least.

The Genesis comparison makes sense and I haven't heard NAO but the point is probably accurate.

This has nothing to do with music, but I sing the frontsinger has moved in close to where I live. I see him all the time on the street. Or someone who looks like him. He did get a lot of lookalikes after they broke through fifteen years ago.

The melody of the single reminds me of "chinaberry tree"

They're going to do two dates with the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, apparently: http://www.copenhagenphil.dk/koncerter/2017/2/9/60-minutes-of-mew

Oh, lol, that's probably why I've run into the lead singer. I live right by that place.

Tape it for us? :)

Can't tomorrow :) But they sometimes record it for radio (it's the former radio-hall, made for the purpose) I'll keep you posted.

"85 Videos" now kicking around

Yeah it's pretty good

I'm into both of the new songs. There are a bunch of videos from the Copenhagen Orchestra thing on these channels
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGH80tzOa6u8Sbg4WvfgfPw
http://www.youtube.com/user/pimwalun?feature=related

I'll be digging into these as well as emo noms this weekend.

Bjerre sounds really good here and here.

Video of "Rows", high notes around 5:55. He's not always dead-on but still p impressive.

New song, uptempo and hooky

Pre ordered

a few songs into the new one and it sounds really fucking good

How does it compare to the last couple?

it's a lot weirder than +/- for sure - "candy pieces all smeared out" for instance sounds somehow both glammy and mathy? on the surface it sounds more "pop" than usual but a lot of the individual tunes are really knotty. lots of sax!

That's enticing, actually (depending on what 'pop' means, ha). I feel like they basically achieved perfection on Kites/Stories and were treading water on +/- (which is still enjoyable) so I'm happy to hear that they're mixing things up.

don't take anything I say too seriously of course, it always takes me a few listens to sort their records out

For me they are best consumed over time, maybe a track a week. The songs are thick and knotty (that's a good term) and they take some listens ...

Ha, when a Mew album comes out, I binge on it for days.

"candy pieces" is incredible

on the surface it sounds more "pop" than usual but a lot of the individual tunes are really knotty.

this feels correct. it's strange that it can feel so straightforward until you really apply your attention to it

It's gonna take me at least a week to process this album!

"in a better place" knocked me out

haven't sorted "ay ay ay" or "learn our crystals" yet but I p much love the rest

after one listen I'm not sure about this one at all...+- seems by far the superior album

but I'll give it a few chances. opening track is a screamer at least (and as with Frengers, it's so good you sort of ignore any mediocrity elsewhere)

doesn't help that it's mastered to remove your ears

& I usually dgaf about that. but this is that rare occasion when dgaf autocorrects to deaf

it has maybe less obvious standouts than +/- but felt about equal in overall quality. looking forward to spending more time with it

er fewer obvious standouts*

Looking forward to this, has the line-up change noticeable?

"Candy" is nice...

But I tuned out soon after. It's so dense

is the second track's beat deliberately making me think of Bowie's Modern Love or am I imagining things?

I'm really enjoying this (and binging, via Spotify so far, as predicted). I think it's probably better than +/-. "Candy" is def a highlight of the songs that had not been released ahead of time.

I can see how you could think of "Modern Love". Based on a quick scan, this is an attempt at a v approximate transcription of the main bass/snare patterns in the two songs, where ">" indicates a snare hit. They move at roughly similar tempi. The Mew drummer varies the beat throughout the song, though, and sometimes gets a little closer to the Bowie beat. In the outro, the second bar just becomes quarters.

wow, thank you for that!

Video for "In a Better Place". Also, I swear this Youtube stream sounds better than the 'mastered for iTunes' version I bought. The drums seem pretty squashed on mine. Did anyone get the CD or LP?

doesn't help that it's mastered to remove your ears

Seriously, does anyone who listens to Scandinavian indie-prog actually want this?

Yeah it's literally intolerable. St Anger-level compression. I only have the album on Spotify

Man, listening to Stories after a while really drives home how much grander, lovelier, and more unique it was compared to the last two.

Hm, maybe that's not fair. I think the highs are higher, though.

And lol now I'm listening to Visuals again and thinking it's really good pop-rock, despite the mastering.

the mastering doesn't sound that offensive to me, and certainly not at St Anger levels

+/- was mastered pretty loud too

Yeah, I had the same problem with +/-. Simon, what format are you listening on? In both cases, I bought these from iTunes.

After a few listens I think this is their most consistent album. Pretty strong all the way through

Some kind of live appearance in Manchester will apparently be streaming at 2 pm UK time (9 am EST): https://www.facebook.com/LowFourStudio/videos/vb.561341794046895/757016621146077/?type=2&theater¬if_t=live_video_share¬if_id=1495454566979368

Nice little set but mostly disturbingly similar to the studio versions.

On my CD version of Visuals I didn't notice any compression problems, it sounds wonderful.

Was thinking this that is where they take a slight step down but I'm not sure. Perhaps on a par with Frengers but not as good as Kites, Stories and +/-?
It's a lot subtler, I was worried about the poppiness taking over too much but perhaps I needn't have, although I do miss some of the dynamism that only really takes center stage on track 3 on this album.

"I am a quiet light chaser

aint I painful?

it's already nightfall"

Nobody mentioned "Twist Quest"! obvious highlight for me.

Is there any male rock vocalist who has a sweeter and more adorable voice?

Saw them play all of Frengers live a few weeks back in front of an absolutely adoring Danish audience. That album is like 'Funeral' or 'Turn On the Bright Lights' for us. It dips in the middle though, but they played a few hits before they got to the main event, which meant they played five songs that went Special, Zookeepers Boy, Am I Wry, 156, Snow Brigade. That was pretty good!

🔜 A reminder that MEW WITH COPENHAGEN PHILHARMONIC is out this Friday...

The very special ltd edition release of our performance with Copenhagen Philharmonic. Available on 12" Heavyweight Vinyl & CD.

Pre-order here 👉 https://t.co/wZfkU0DNxR pic.twitter.com/ITIhyhH1lZ

— Mew (@mew) December 10, 2018

is there a band x with philharmonic s/d thread somewhere? feel like it's a concept that can go both ways

breaking up, performing final shows next year

Sad. Does anyone recommend the other Jonas bands or his guest appearances?

ex member bo chimes in:

https://i.postimg.cc/02k5jLj1/Screenshot-2024-09-12-at-22-44-43.png

Damn, that's pretty harsh.

I'll treasure ...And The Glass Handed Kites and No More Stories forever and ever.

haha...maybe he's joking?
anyway great band

How does everyone feel about Visuals in retrospect? It's not a bad album at all but I can't help but feel a bit cynical and disappointed that it sounds like a turn towards the radio pop of the time.

Not the easiest band to collect, so I would appreciate a compilation of the first two albums, b-sides, anniversary tracks and japanese bonus tracks.