Me, Mew and Everything I Know

A few years back I was at a listening station in the Virgin Mega Store checking out various imports when the first 20 seconds I heard off one album made me shell out twenty-six bucks. The band is Mew and the song is titled "Am I Wry? No" The album Frengers was one of the best I heard that year. It's dreamy and bombastic: a mish-mash of the band's admitted influences: My Bloody Valentine, Pixies and Dinosaur Jr.

Late last year Mew followed that album with And The Glass Handed Kites which I was very excited to receive as a birthday gift. It's a decidedly harder rocking affair but still just as good if not better in some instances. I love moments when you try to turn up the stereo and realize it can't go up any higher...that's rocking out at its best for me. This album certainly fits that bill. It is chock full of sharp, jagged sounds and stories both nightmarish and operetic. Still, there is plenty of pop buried under that intricity- this is the rare band that I think could be equally appreciated by both fans of proggy metal and the whimsy pop of Belle and Sebastian. Hmmm, maybe a more mature version of MUSE?

The band, which hails from Denmark, has found plenty of success in Europe and elsewhere- just not here...yet. I was only just recently speaking to the manager of an A4D favorite and asking why a band signed to Sony and doing so well hasn't even been given a chance here yet. Well it would seem that time is now. It's been announced that the band will tour in support of Bloc Party (see below) this summer and, having recently received a review copy of the disc, I can only assume it's finally going to see release here in the sub-twenty dollar department. [Update: I hear the release will come in August.]

Below check out samples from each of these albums that have made Mew one of my absolute favorite bands.

Am I Wry? No (from Frengers; I have to admit it was a long time before I realized it was a man singing)

Apocalypto (from And The Glass Handed Kites)

Tour (w/ Bloc Party)

July 2006
28th: Boston, MA (Bank Pavilion)
29th: Brooklyn, NY (McCarran Pool)

August 2006
1st: Anaheim, CA (The Grove)
3rd: Los Angeles, CA (Greek Theatre)
4th: Berkeley, CA (Greek Theatre)
9th: Houston, TX (Warehouse Live)
10th: Austin, TX (Stubbs BBQ)