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.
― MaresNest, Thursday, 27 August 2009 15:39 (fourteen years ago) link
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.
― Sundar, Thursday, 27 August 2009 17:23 (fourteen years ago) link
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.
― Sundar, Thursday, 27 August 2009 19:28 (fourteen years ago) link
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.
― Sundar, Friday, 28 August 2009 04:57 (fourteen years ago) link
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”
― StanM, Saturday, 23 October 2010 09:34 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― piscesx, Saturday, 23 October 2010 10:38 (thirteen years ago) link
The only one I ever listen to anymore is Frengers, tbh.
― StanM, Saturday, 23 October 2010 11:32 (thirteen years ago) link
wow the engineer I was working with this weekend was REALLY into this guy
― in my world of loose geirs (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 28 March 2011 23:36 (thirteen years ago) link
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, Copenhagen13/6 Hultsfredfestivalen14/6 Provinssi Rock15/6 Bergenfest8/8 Smukfest10/8 Summer Sonic, Tokyo8-11/8 Summer Sonic, Osaka8/11 Ja Ja Ja Festival, London
― StanM, Wednesday, 12 June 2013 18:01 (eleven years ago) link
They are returned.
http://allstonpudding.com/mew-announces-new-album-shares-satellites/
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 19 January 2015 17:20 (nine years ago) link
definitely their best ever cover art
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Monday, 19 January 2015 17:35 (nine years ago) link
Oh cool!
― MaresNest, Monday, 19 January 2015 18:21 (nine years ago) link
new song feat. kimbra http://scarywitch.tumblr.com/post/109933652451/you-bring-the-night-believer-the-wrong-key
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, 3 February 2015 20:58 (nine years ago) link
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.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 7 February 2015 00:37 (nine years ago) link
Glad to hear about this. It's been much longer than I imagined.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 7 February 2015 16:24 (nine years ago) link
http://www.npr.org/2015/04/19/399615381/first-listen-mew
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 20 April 2015 17:45 (nine years ago) link
album is GREAT
Can't wait.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Monday, 20 April 2015 18:16 (nine years ago) link
What's on the second disc of the deluxe version?
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Monday, 20 April 2015 18:17 (nine years ago) link
no idea
wow @ "rows"
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 20 April 2015 18:28 (nine years ago) link
stream not available in my country :(
― MaresNest, Monday, 20 April 2015 19:09 (nine years ago) link
What's on the second disc of the deluxe version?― Robert Adam Gilmour, Monday, April 20, 2015 7:17 PM (2 hours ago)
― 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 Slides8. Cross The River On Your Own (Live)9. Special (Live)10. The Zookeeper’s Boy (Live)
― michaellambert, Monday, 20 April 2015 20:38 (nine years ago) link
Not sure I want that, might just get the regular version.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Monday, 20 April 2015 20:43 (nine years ago) link
Mine either.:(
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Monday, 20 April 2015 20:49 (nine years ago) link
The embedded stream here seems to work everywhere:
http://www.thefourohfive.com/news/article/stream-mew-s-new-album-142
― fuck me, archipelago (Simon H.), Monday, 20 April 2015 20:54 (nine years ago) link
Oh, thanks! Will listen tonight.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Monday, 20 April 2015 21:04 (nine years ago) link
"Rows" is wonderful, yeah. On the fence about the rest so far, although I don't dislike anything.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Tuesday, 21 April 2015 13:55 (nine years ago) link
fuuuck the end of "Rows" needs to be at least 4 mins longer
― fuck me, archipelago (Simon H.), Wednesday, 22 April 2015 02:35 (nine years ago) link
holy shit @ 'rows'
― ciderpress, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 04:41 (nine years ago) link
despite starting the thread i never kept up with this guy. so his recent stuff is pretty good right?
― piscesx, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 07:11 (nine years ago) link
this album's cool & yeah, mew have been stirred into action by our 10-minute songs poll
― young ruffian - sick banter (imago), Wednesday, 22 April 2015 07:40 (nine years ago) link
And the Glass Handed Kites and No More Stories are serious contenders for my favourite rock albums of the 21st century so far.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Wednesday, 22 April 2015 11:59 (nine years ago) link
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.
― calstars, Thursday, 23 April 2015 00:55 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, I think that hits the nail on the head re one of the obstacles with this. Kites is my OPO too.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 23 April 2015 03:03 (nine years ago) link
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
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 April 2015 03:17 (nine years ago) link
Predictably, it has started sucking me in.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Friday, 24 April 2015 19:43 (nine years ago) link
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.
― calstars, Friday, 24 April 2015 23:02 (nine years ago) link
I'm still listening to the fourohfive stream tbh, so I mostly put the whole thing on.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 April 2015 12:18 (nine years ago) link
"making friends" is actual ecstasy
― uberweiss, Saturday, 25 April 2015 15:44 (nine years ago) link
thaaaaaaat guitaaaaaaaaaaaaar
"MY COMPLICATIONS"!!!!!i'm DEAD
― uberweiss, Saturday, 25 April 2015 15:56 (nine years ago) link
Making friends is great, maybe the best thing on here?
― calstars, Saturday, 25 April 2015 16:02 (nine years ago) link
for SUCH a long time i didn't KNOW if i'd find yousomeTHINGsomeTHINGcrying on the bathroom floooooooooor
― uberweiss, Saturday, 25 April 2015 16:02 (nine years ago) link
"making friends" = mew finally wrote a scritti politti song
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Saturday, 25 April 2015 16:05 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, I love "Water Slides". Not sure what to make of the bass sound on "Making Friends".
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 April 2015 16:12 (nine years ago) link
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.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 April 2015 16:47 (nine years ago) link
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
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Saturday, 25 April 2015 16:53 (nine years ago) link
Ah.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 April 2015 17:01 (nine years ago) link
to be fair i have no idea what any instruments are but yeah the bit that comes in during the versesassuming i know what a verse is
― uberweiss, Saturday, 25 April 2015 17:03 (nine years ago) link