Mew’s ambitious fifth album opens up to listeners slowly in order to show an engaging mix of densely-written indie rock and dream pop that is hard to like but worth loving if given the dedication it deserves.
Mew: “No More Stories…” Released August 25, 2009 on Sony BMG
4 out of 5 stars
When Danish-rockers Mew called themselves the world’s only indie stadium band, it all makes sense. Their music comes from a small place, but it is HUGE. After recording four albums and gaining a huge fanbase throughout the world, Mew have surely learned how to create epic songs with a unique sound. If you’ve never heard of Mew before, I suggest you brush up on your musical knowledge by downloading their past hit songs, “Special” and “Zookeeper’s Boy”, which both gained some popularity in the States. Those songs were great, and so is this new album.
Mew, comprised of singer Jonas Bjerre, guitarist Bo Madsen, and drummer Silas Utke Graae Jorgensen, recorded their new album throughout 2008. Its full title is No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I’m Tired Let’s Wash Away. Mouthful, huh? Well if the long title isn’t disheartening enough, the album also starts out on a bad foot. One of the reasons I got into Mew was because their previous album, …And the Glass Handed Kites, had an opening song that was so engaging and immediately likeable that I had to like Mew. So I kept listening to them until the music finally clicked within my brain. No More Stories, however, begins with one of the album’s most challenging songs, “New Terrain,” that was made in such a crazy fashion that if you play the song backwards, “New Terrain” becomes a totally new song called “Nervous,” both with pretty legible lyrics. So if you can get past the first song, you should be good. If not, go pick up Mew’s past album, and play some T-ball before you move up to baseball.
The second song is the first single, “Introducing Palace Players.” You’d think, “If this is the single, it should be easy to like, right?” All I have to say is, “Don’t forget, this is Mew.” The first half of the song is an instrumental build-up where the vocals come in seemingly randomly, with airy melodies that you won’t even realize you are remembering until the fourth time you are listening to the song and you find yourself surprised that you can all-of-a-sudden sing along. Much of the rest of the album follows in suit. Even though each song brings many musical surprises and unique vocals, each song flows with ambitious, confusing, and dense compositions with singing that flies through the ears so easily that no one realizes that the songs are actually soaking into the subconscious. These songs could easily make people sign up for Music Appreciation classes, but it also makes people yearn for some Easily Listening to juxtapose music that, I promise, will challenge the listener, or rather, the aural in-taker.
For the uninitiated, hope does come along soon. Even though the song “Beach,” which appears earlier in the album, is actually a straight-forward pop song, this fact isn’t obvious until the song has been heard a few times. In contrast, the later tri-punch “Hawaii,” “Vaccine,” and “Tricks of the Trade” are easily likeable upon first listen, bringing in fans and non-fans alike with a beautiful and captivating collection of sounds.
During these songs, Mew fans might finally notice how good singer Jonas Bjerre really is on No More Stories. Up until now, it could appear that Bjerre is just rehashing old ideas. During these songs, it is obvious how good and fresh Bjerre’s melodies are, more smart-pop-centered than the falsetto-indie workings of past. He is like a white cloud amongst storms, placing fluffy yet powerful lines over orchestrations of frightening lightning and thunder. A big difference between this album and past Mew efforts is also that Bjerre’s lyrics are much more relatable. I read once in an interview from Yahoo! that Bjerre will wake up in the night from a dream, write down lyrics, and go back to bed. These nonsensical lyrics would then be used in songs, contributing great imagery and food for thought without actually presenting any meaning. But now, a good amount of lyrics are actually relatable and impressionable, especially the short verse from closing track “Reprise.”
Overall, this album is a tough listen, but it’s like a tough lesson. It may be painful to get the lesson into your mind, or for you to learn and agree with the lesson, but you become a better person once all is said and done. Likewise, Mew is unlike anything you’ve ever heard, and you will be a better fan of music after listening to them. There may not be a single song as good as their hit “Special,” but that song overshadowed most other songs on the album. Here, every song ties together cohesively in order to place into the world a set of big indie, smart pop music.
Best songs: “Repeaterbeater” “Vaccine” “Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy”
(PS. The album is currently on sale on iTunes for the very cheap 8 dollars, and it even comes with three great bonus tracks. Purchase it while the sale lasts! Not convinced it’s worth it? Album is available for full streaming on the band’s myspace)
