Mew “No More Stories” EP Review
Mew is a group that has managed throughout its career to be unclassifiable both in sound and in standing, consistently delivering music that successfully blends many different styles and genres, all while remaining blissfully outside of any category that tries to claim it. This varied approach continues on the Danish group’s new EP, No More Stories, which offers the band’s first new music in nearly four years. The five song set contains two songs from the forthcoming full-length 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, as well as three non-album tracks. And despite being just a small sample of what’s yet to come with the album, these songs represent yet another turning point for a band that already has plenty of them checkering its past.
The frenetic percussion and unorthodox time signature of the opening track “Introducing Palace Players” eventually gives way to an upbeat, soaring dance beat and jangly guitars that go on to dominate the rest of the song. The lyrics have an air of optimism to them, which represents a switch from the typically morose vocals Jonas Bjerre usually delivers. As the band is now recording as a three-piece following the departure of bassist Johan Wohlert, and producer Rich Costey is again manning the production on the new album (he also produced the bands breakthrough record Frengers), these new songs manage to maintain the grandiose sound and scope of Mew’s earlier material without ever overreaching. This approach is evident on the propulsive “Repeaterbeater,” which is a driving, seething track that seems to be over far too quickly but oddly ends at just the right time. It is that quirky paradox that not only makes Mew a tough band to classify, but also a tough band to describe. The jarring guitars at the start and finish of “Repeaterbeater” belie the epic, original nature of the track’s other two and a half minutes. And after hearing these two songs, as good as they are, I still have no real idea what the full-length will sound like.
(uncredited band photo via Facebook)
The three non-album tracks are a bit hit-or-miss, as most b-sides usually are. “Owl” seems to be a transitional instrumental piece meant to be a bridge between the first two tracks and the last two. I can’t help but hear strains of Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” every time I hear this song, but “Owl” never aims for that level of grandeur, instead forming a simple link between the EP’s first and second half. “Start” leads us back to somewhat familiar territory for Mew, with despondent lyrics over a sorrowful piano line, but the track never really fulfills its promise and meanders a bit before fading away without much effect. The last song on the EP, “Swimmer’s Chant,” is much more encouraging, with delicate guitar parts blending with evocative keyboards and haunting vocals that evoke the recent sprawling sound of Mercury Rev. And the “It wears me out” vocals hint at the desperation and anguish found in Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.” “Swimmer’s Chant” is an elegant and stirring track that certainly plays to the strengths of the band, and if a song this strong is left off of the full-length, I can’t wait to hear what did make the cut.
Mew’s last few records have built up the band’s fan base, its profile, and have laid the groundwork for a career that is certainly on the upswing. And if the poignant and powerful songs on the No More Stories EP are any indication, Mew is back with more songs that are bound to confound critics and fans alike, leaving us all scrambling to find the right words to describe what we hear.
Mew “Repeaterbeater” (mp3)