Mew – No More Stories Are Told Today – Review

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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 (Columbia)
By Mike Delano

Mew‘s fifth full-length has some incredibly sweet melodies strewn across its 54 minutes, but you’ll have to do a little work to earn them. This Danish crew doesn’t give them up easily, challenging you to make sense of kaleidoscope soundscapes, dissonance, bizarre time signatures, and pulsating, droning hypnobeats. Wade through these, and you’ll uncover some sweetness along the lines of early Phoenix/new Death Cab. “Beach” uses synths to set the mood for a love story rooted in a nighttime chemistry class. “Silas The Magic Car” sounds like a warm encapsulation of the domestic meanderings from the Björk/Matmos collaborations from her Vespertine period. You might find yourself drawn more to the weirdness, though, like the mind-bending, sounds-like-it’s-being-played-in-reverse, aptly-titled “New Terrain.” Or don’t choose between sweet and weird at all, just skip to standout “Introducing Palace Players,” where head spinning staccato drum ‘n’ clang gives way to a funky Franz Ferdinand stomp. Fantastic stuff.
(www.columbiarecords.com)