the MEW thread

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