Danish quartet Mew's dense and occasionally difficult And the Glass Handed Kites is old-fashioned only in the sense that it's meant to be eaten in a single sitting. This is not a single-driven record -- though "Special," with its bouncy, moody chorus and octave vocal delivery, sounds like an emission from a time machine parked dead center within the heydays of early-'90s alternative rock -- rather, it's a single organism. Kites takes the wisdom and volatility of the Delgados ("Chinaberry Tree"), the sonic scope of Sigur Rós ("White Lips Kissed"), and the angular guitar attack of early Ride and Dinosaur Jr. ("Circuitry of the Wolf") and melds them all into a cathartic post-rock epic that's so electrifying and unpredictable that it's almost impossible to take in with one or two listens. Fans of OK Computer-era Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, and Disintegration-era Cure will find And the Glass Handed Kites one of the most breathtaking things to come along since the dawn of the dream pop/post-punk genres themselves.
I have no idea why I never got around to talking about this album before. I stumbled into it somehow two summers ago, and was almost turned off by its freakish-looking cover. I expected either a datedprog album, or something from the newest Scandinavian death metal band.Then I pressed play, and immediately felt like an idiot. As my mommy said, don't judge a something-something-something. And th...
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I know this video has been posted before, but I'm sure that there are a few people out there who still haven't seen it, unlike the Ok Go video....I wake up more mornings than not with this song stuck in my head. It's my 'shower and get ready for work' song.Again, thank you to the people who recommended these guys... Dale and AJ.180 degrees the other way... Do you ever sing along to a song, g...
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It's finally late enough in the year that I can take a flyer on a list of my 25 favorite songs this year. I have included my usual pithy comments, because I can't imagine putting a simple list forth, and not offering at least a bit of explanation. I have also noted the songs that I discovered during my time on MOG, with credit given where applicable.And if this list looks a lot like my obsessio...
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And, that means you Dale.Let's just get this out of the way. I bought the fricken album. Ok, full confession: I not only bought the album but I actually went to three different stores before I found it. Sigh.That doesn't mean I have to like it. I bought it, but perversely enough, I plan on fighting the good fight against it.
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I found this video at SPIN.com, and was enjoying it quite happily, as I liked hearing Mew's take on their album.And then ... Bono drops in. Who invited him?He likes them ... easy stomach, we'll get through this.Oh no ... he compares them to My Bloody Valentine, which he also likes.I'm swallowing my tongue. Ergh.http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/Mew/video/Mew_Short_EPK_VidFull_300.asxSweet dreams!
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I truly do apologize for the unsexiness of the Hasselhoff picture. Well, who knows, maybe some of you found it sexy...I'm glad you kept it to yourselves if you did. Blech.Here is some sexy to get your mojo turned back on full blast.Jonas Bjerre is so fey. It creeps me out and turns me on at the same time. This song makes me want to go dance on a fjord under the Aurora Borealis. Well, I guess yo...
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My brother hooked me up with this. I know I should probably hate this album... a lot, but I can't stop listening to it. It has some very chunky guitars buried in the background with a very girlish sounding guy singing whispy lyrics about love and such things on every track. I like it a lot. Also check out the review at pitchforkmedia. The guys take on it is right on...http://www.pitchforkmedia....
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So, you're stuck home, MOGging when you'd rather be out of the house, doing anything else. I hear ya, me too. Maybe this will cheer you up: Mew will perform tonight on the Craig Ferguson show! w00t!I know, I know, you've probably never heard me say anything about Mew ... in the past 10 hours. Suffer me again, I beg of you. Here's the video for their single "Special", to get you in the mood.
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I'm super excited to see that Danish band Mew is the free single of the week on iTunes! I had the distinct good fortune to catch this band live opening for Kasabian in September. (Kasabian/Mew review) I was standing next to a girl who was there to see Mew specifically, and she really got me excited about them. Since then, I've really gotten into their sound which is very eclectic and intriguing...
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So based on a lot of Mype (MOG+hype) I listened to the first 6 tracks of Mew And The Glass Handed Kites and...I really like it - it's highly recommended for fans of Sunny Day Real Estate, Pinback, At The Drive-In, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Queensryche, and so on. In other words, it is spaced out, atmosperic, proggy rock music with clever time changes to keep us music geeks glued. I hop...
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Yes, I daresay my love for Mew has reached DEFCON1 level since seeing them in concert last Tuesday. I almost cried during this song, no joke. Jonas Bjerre's falsetto vocals just cut me to the quick.I apologize to those who have been waiting patiently for the full review of my first concert in two years. I will do it, but I want to get the thing right, so I'm writing drafts and such. I do hope t...
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I kept seeing Mew mentioned on Mogs, so I finally decided to check them out. Turns out the buzz is warranted: I can't stop listening to them.The Zookeeper's Boy has been stuck in my head for several days now. That falsetto "Are you my lady?" just keeps repeating over and over again. And instead of being annoyed, I just want to hear it again. "Apocalypso" and "Special" are really solid tracks as...
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Talk about not judging a book by its cover--a friend passed along this "Mew":http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AV47XK/ref=dp_return_1/103-7074091-9185469?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music CD and I was expecting something a bit dark and angry for the drive home, but upon putting the thing into my car I was instantly transported to somewhere else. I was instantly reminded of 4AD bands like "Lush":http:/...
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I am interrupting HHT for this announcement: I like Mew. I give up. I burned a copy of "And the Glass Handed Kites" to listen to in my car along with a bunch of other things the MOGsters have recommended to me, and it finally came around for me on a longish car trip a week ago. By the third song in, I'm thinking this is the most brilliant record I've ever heard, and then I realize, damn. This i...
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*Special*It's been a while since I've crowed about my favorite Danish imports, and by now most of you MOGgers are on board. I picked up And The Glass Handed Kites back in October '05 based on a review in Drowned In Sound, but had shelved it, and hadn't given it a full listen. One year later, I shuffled my tail to Lawrence "*and saw them open for Kasabian*":http://mog.com/Dale/blog_post/17412. ...
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It's finally late enough in the year that I can take a flyer on a list of my 25 favorite songs this year. I have included my usual pithy comments, because I can't imagine putting a simple list forth, and not offering at least a bit of explanation. I have also noted the songs that I discovered during my time on MOG, with credit given where applicable.And if this list looks a lot like my obsessio...
More >
Mogger RobinH and I found sparks flying between us on MOG about a year ago and decided to step it up a notch. After 3 months of daily musical and non-musical musings, on MogMail and personal email, we felt a deep bond between us and decided to meet in person. So last June, we each booked off a two-week holiday and Robin set off from the UK to Canada to meet me. We had firmly fallen in love in ...
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So, you're stuck home, MOGging when you'd rather be out of the house, doing anything else. I hear ya, me too. Maybe this will cheer you up: Mew will perform tonight on the Craig Ferguson show! w00t!I know, I know, you've probably never heard me say anything about Mew ... in the past 10 hours. Suffer me again, I beg of you. Here's the video for their single "Special", to get you in the mood.
More >
Yes, I daresay my love for Mew has reached DEFCON1 level since seeing them in concert last Tuesday. I almost cried during this song, no joke. Jonas Bjerre's falsetto vocals just cut me to the quick.I apologize to those who have been waiting patiently for the full review of my first concert in two years. I will do it, but I want to get the thing right, so I'm writing drafts and such. I do hope t...
More >
I found this video at SPIN.com, and was enjoying it quite happily, as I liked hearing Mew's take on their album.And then ... Bono drops in. Who invited him?He likes them ... easy stomach, we'll get through this.Oh no ... he compares them to My Bloody Valentine, which he also likes.I'm swallowing my tongue. Ergh.http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/Mew/video/Mew_Short_EPK_VidFull_300.asxSweet dreams!
More >
And, that means you Dale.Let's just get this out of the way. I bought the fricken album. Ok, full confession: I not only bought the album but I actually went to three different stores before I found it. Sigh.That doesn't mean I have to like it. I bought it, but perversely enough, I plan on fighting the good fight against it.
More >
I know this video has been posted before, but I'm sure that there are a few people out there who still haven't seen it, unlike the Ok Go video....I wake up more mornings than not with this song stuck in my head. It's my 'shower and get ready for work' song.Again, thank you to the people who recommended these guys... Dale and AJ.180 degrees the other way... Do you ever sing along to a song, g...
More >
I have no idea why I never got around to talking about this album before. I stumbled into it somehow two summers ago, and was almost turned off by its freakish-looking cover. I expected either a datedprog album, or something from the newest Scandinavian death metal band.Then I pressed play, and immediately felt like an idiot. As my mommy said, don't judge a something-something-something. And th...
More >
Im leaving around 8 to the bay area. To dads house. Im getting a zune im pretty stoked. =)
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I truly do apologize for the unsexiness of the Hasselhoff picture. Well, who knows, maybe some of you found it sexy...I'm glad you kept it to yourselves if you did. Blech.Here is some sexy to get your mojo turned back on full blast.Jonas Bjerre is so fey. It creeps me out and turns me on at the same time. This song makes me want to go dance on a fjord under the Aurora Borealis. Well, I guess yo...
More >
So based on a lot of Mype (MOG+hype) I listened to the first 6 tracks of Mew And The Glass Handed Kites and...I really like it - it's highly recommended for fans of Sunny Day Real Estate, Pinback, At The Drive-In, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Queensryche, and so on. In other words, it is spaced out, atmosperic, proggy rock music with clever time changes to keep us music geeks glued. I hop...
More >
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 "And the Glass Handed Kites")
