MEW

Chris the Swiss over at Music of the Moment has been all adrool over Mew's And the Glass Handed Kites for quite some time now, so I finally had to get around to giving it a listen.

I can't say that I'm quite as smitten by these Danish alterna-rockers as Chris, though I can certainly see/hear the appeal. At his highest range, the lead singer's voice is not altogether unreminiscent of the Sigur Ros guy's - albeit less whale-like and far more comprehensible (he sings in English, for one thing). As soundscapes, I find the songs quite effective, though I wish there was a bit more effort at traditional verse-chorus-verse catchiness here and there.

It might also be noted that the songs dissolve one to the next - concept-album-style - which makes for a nice, sinuous flow. In that regard, this effort reminds me somewhat of Mansun's Attack of the Grey Lantern, though - again - I think the songs on Lantern are stronger/tighter/catchier/etc. At the very least, the Mew effort makes for ideal background music to any number of activities, and I agree with Chris that the "Apocalypso"-"Special"-"The Zookeeper's Boy" is the record's best stretch. I also like "Chinaberry Tree," so I'm offering that up here as well.

And the Glass Handed Kites finally hit the U.S. marketplace on October 18th.

[MP3] [left-click] "Apocalypso"

[MP3] [left-click] "The Zookeeper's Boy"

[MP3] [left-click] "Chinaberry Tree"