Mew @ Hiro Ballroom: Celebrating Christmas in July
My blogger services were requested tonight for the proper U.S. debut of the hottest import out of Denmark since Lars Von Trier. Mew on paper is a three piece outfit, but live this prog rock juggernaut produce who this gloriously ridiculous sound of big guitar chords, long synth tones and high-pitched vocals. Think Sigur Ros meets Yes. They were amazing in how they created sonic soundscapes that felt larger than life. One must wonder why it took so long to get some props here in the states after being a major band overseas.
The show started with ten minutes of ambient chords to get everyone in mood for their spacey sounds, and also to tease people until they went on. The ambient music made me feel like I was on a tour in a aquarium, "On the left you'll see the beautiful, yet deadly jaguar shark." When the band eventually came with a large bang on the drum, it was a huge wake-up call.
The trio plus two touring musicians played in front of projections of early computer animation, but mostly odd creatures like a cat wearing a British solider outfit and playing the violent and some strange half fish, half hand puppet creature. For their more down-tempo songs off their U.S. debut album, And The Glass Handed Kites (stream it here) like "She Came From Christmas," the art projection was more simple.
In all, I came for the rock, and the band made you feel like you were a part of something bigger than the room could hold. Songs like "The Circuitry of Wolves" or "The Zookeeper's Boy" were stunningly powerful tracks played live. Jonas Bjerre has this other-worldly voice that sounds like a huge chorus, but it's just him with an vocal effect. He's also responsible for the animation and band's art work. Watching him, he seemed like a shy dude, often standing still, with his eyes closed and singing with a feather's touch.
The good news is that they'll probably be coming to your town either as an opening act for Bloc Party or in some way, shape or form in the future. While you might just categorize them as prog rockers, they feel like they are achieving something more genre defying, which makes it more appealing.
Bill of Sound Bites had night vision goggles going on. I think the lead singer looks like a young Parker Stevenson.
A Parker Stevenson reference? You're old. But how can you review Mew without mentioning Comforting Sounds?
Posted by: Rascalnikov | July 27, 2006 at 01:01 PM
leave snobbery alone. He's working hard out there.
Posted by: Fyodor Karamazov | July 27, 2006 at 03:27 PM