Key Studio Video Session #5 – Me Without You from WXPN FM on Vimeo.

Last week mewithoutYou abandoned plans to release the Key Sessions they had promised featuring the debut of 3 new songs…A week later here we are with at least something to show for those promises.

Apparently the band didn’t think the quality of the recordings/performances were up to their standards enough to release them, so instead what we’ve got is a 7 minute interview, sequencing back and forth between an interview with the band and clips of the 3 new songs which are “Cardiff Giant” “East Enders Wives” and “February 1878″.

Though you can see the quality does sound a little bit off, I still wish we could’ve gotten a preview of at least one full song…I’m dying to hear the band take a full shot at “February 1878″…Wow.

Here’s to hoping we get more from these guys SOONER rather than later.

Read the full response from the band here

Thanks to Hear No Evil on the tip. If you’re not following that blog, your messing up.

MP3 // IN BLOOM

Hopefully this is the first of many more posts to come on these guys. Can’t wait!

So without further ado, here are the 10 albums that made my year. These are the top 10 reasons I keep doing this. Let me know what you think!

10
As Cities Burn // Hell or High Water
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.0 of 5 // review
The last album in the short-lived legacy of As Cities Burn, Hell or High Water hinted at the same brooding and dissonant songwriting of it’s predecessor featuring vocalist Cody Bonnette shining in some of his brightest moments. Although Hell or High Water will not go down as their best release, it’s an applauded effort by a band that went away all too soon.
mp3// pirate blues

****

09
Monsters of Folk // Monsters of Folk
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.0 of 5
The collaboration between M. Ward, Jim James and Conor Oberst birthed an album that was diversified enough to keep everybody happy, while staying true to each artists character. The hype that surrounded Monsters of Folk at it’s announcement usually stunts such supergroups, but Monsters of Folk lived up to the hype, creating an album that is impossible to find something that you don’t like.
mp3// say please

****

08
Freelance Whales // Weathervanes
Bedwetters Rating //4.0 of 5 // full review
The thing that makes Weathervanes so good is it’s unexplainable ability to combine the immediacy of it’s songs with a depth of songwriting that is unmatched by too many. The first week after being introduced to Weathervanes, it was the only thing I listened to. I took it with me wherever I went, all the while waiting for the eventual crash that accompanies a record that favors instant appeal instead of good songwriting. I thought this was THAT record, but I was wrong. Weathervanes is the best of both worlds; instantly addicting and positively refreshing with each listen.
mp3// starring

****

07
Atlas Sound // Logos
Bedwetter’s Rating //4.0 of 5 // full review
It seems that with Logo’s, Bradford Cox has finally left the confines of his bedroom to give his work the cliche’d “breath of fresh air”. The sound heard throughout Logos is both consistent and addicting, compounding soaring soundscapes with conservative whispers making Logos not only one of the shining moments of 2009, but arguably Cox’s best work to date.
mp3// shelia

****

06
Brand New // Daisy
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.0 of 5 // full review
From the opening wounded shrieking to the delirious and maniacal chanting of it’s imploding end, Daisy instantly became the most polarizing album in Brand New’s prolific catalog. While naysayers cite sloppy songwriting and questionable quality behind Daisy’s lyricism, Jesse Lacey and Co. still pushed the boundaries into depths few, if any knew they were capable of.
mp3// gasoline

****

05
Thrice // Beggars
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
Beggars is not the most intricate record, nor the most experimental release in Thrice’s impressive discography. However, the solidified composition and reserved greatness in every song on the album makes it easy to listen to and nearly impossible to forget. The masterful musicianship displayed by guitarist Teppei Teranishi is perfectly balanced in every aspect, lending way for the Breckenridge brother’s flawless percussion section. Combined with Dustin Kensrue’s career defining performance both lyrically and vocally, it’s hard to think of a time when the songwriting prowess of Thrice was more evident than now.
mp3// doublespeak

****

04
Rx Bandits // Mandala
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
While Mandala might not take the giant leap of progression found on …And The Battle Begun, it still finds the band in a place of steady contentment. The energy and the flow is all we have come to expect from a band of such stature, and it does well serving as the next chapter in Rx Bandit’s already impressive story.

mp3// bring our children home or everything is nothing

****

03
mewithoutYou // it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
Although it may be mewithoutYou’s worst acclaimed release, I can’t fault them for making an album that they wanted to make. Gone is everything that made this band recognizable, but they still made it work. From the opening happy keys of “every thought a thought of You” to the campfire acoustics of “Allah, Allah, Allah” Aaron Weiss cements himself among the greatest lyricists of my time. If you don’t get this album, keep listening. It will come
mp3// cattail down

****

02
Grizzly Bear // Veckatimest
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
Capitalizing on everything that makes Grizzly Bear such a widely admired band, Veckatimest is a true rarity. Gushing to the brim with dazzling and addicting psychedelia tinged chamber pop and methodically sparse folk, these four men from Brooklyn have made a masterpiece that is both insatiably deep as it is instantly gratifying.
mp3// ready, able

****

01
Manchester Orchestra // Mean Everything To Nothing
Bedwetter’s Rating // 5 of 5 //full review
It is apparent that when Manchester Orchestra set out to write this album, they went with clear intentions to make a masterpiece, and a masterpiece is exactly what they have delivered. In an industry where we are constantly being subjected to bands intent on selling us an image rather than a song, it’s refreshing to see a band come along and create something so naturally beautiful and unforced. And for that, Manchester Orchestra deserve all the acclaim in the world.
mp3// everything to nothing

mewithoutYou at Myspace

as always, if you dig the song, support the artist!

the picture is of my brother getting punched in the face. i stole it from my good friend’s expansive collection of photography. his name is trevor christensen , do him a favor, hit him up and show him some love.

download:: best of the decade pt 1 (songs 1-25)
download:: best of the decade pt 2 (songs 26-50)

#50
wild orchid children – ahead of us the secret
from elephant ep (2007) ::purchase

#49
city and colour – as much as i ever could
from bring me your love (2008) ::purchase

#48
blood brothers – trash flavored trash
from crimes (2004) ::purchase

#47
forget cassettes – quiero, quieres
from salt (2006) ::purchase

#46
straylight run – big shot (hands in the sky)
from prepare to be wrong ep (2005)::purchase

#45
the arcade fire – wake up
from funeral (2004)::purchase

#44
arctic monkeys – fluorescent adolescent
from favourite worst nightmare (2007)::purchase

#43
moving mountains – 8105
from pneuma (2008)::purchase

#42
manchester orchestra – i can barely breathe
from i’m like a virgin losing a child (2006)::purchase

#41
underoath – everyone looks so good from here
from define the great line (2006)::purchase

#40
kevin devine – time to burn (another bag of bones)
from brother’s blood (2009)::purchase

#39
parallax – the romance
from mediums and messages(2006) unavailable for purchase

#38
explosions in the sky – greet death
from those who tell the truth shall die, those who tell the truth shall live forever (2001)::purchase

#37
death from above 1979 – romantic rights
from you’re a woman, i’m a machine (2004)::purchase

#36
gym class heroes – everydays forecast
from the papercut chronicles (2005)::purchase

#35
mgmt – time to pretend
from oracular spectacular (2008)::purchase

#34
manchester orchestra – i was a lid
from let my pride be what’s left behind (2008)::purchase

#33
david bazan – cold beer and cigarettes
from fewer moving parts ep (2006)::purchase

#32
evangelicals – midnight vignette
from the evening descends (2008)::purchase

#31
the strokes – you only live once
from first impressions of earth (2006)::purchase

#30
animal collective – the purple bottle
from feels (2005)::purchase

#29
conor oberst – milk thistle
from conor oberst (2008)::purchase

#28
aesop rock – daylight
from labor days (2001)::purchase

#27
the sound of animals fighting – act IV – you don’t need a witness
from tiger & the duke (2005)::purchase

#26
bloc party – positive tension
from silent alarm (2005)::purchase

#25
colour revolt – swamp
from plunder, beg, and curse (2008)::purchase

#24
brand new – untitled 05
from leaked demos (2006) unavailable for purchase

#23
the good life – inmates
from album of the year (2004)::purchase

#22
la dispute – damaged goods
from somewhere at the bottom between vega and altair(2008)::purchase

#21
circle takes the square – kill the switch
from as the roots undo(2003)::purchase

#20
mewithoutYou – four word letter pt. 2
from catch for us the foxes(2004)::purchase

#19
modest mouse – night on the sun
from everywhere and his nasty parlour tricks (2001)::purchase

#18
grizzly bear – ready, able
from veckatimest (2009)::purchase

#17
cursive – staying alive
from the ugly organ (2003)::purchase

#16
glassjaw- two tabs of mescaline
from worship and tribute (2002)::purchase

#15
bright eyes – lets not shit ourselves (to love and to be loved)
from lifted: or the story is in the soil, keep your ear to the ground (2002)::purchase

#14
the strokes – is this it
from is this it (2001)::purchase

#13
bright eyes – hit the switch
from digital ash in a digital urn (2006)::purchase

#12
brand new – limousine (ms rebridge)
from the devil and god are raging inside me (2006)::purchase

#11
manchester orchestra – pride
from mean everything to nothing (2009)::purchase

#10
emily haines – winning
from knives don’t have your back (2006)::purchase

#9
brand new – okay i believe you, but my tommy gun don’t
from deja entendu (2003)::purchase

#8
portugal. the man – telling tellers telling me
from church mouth (2007)::purchase

#7
la dispute – new storms for older lovers
from somewhere at the bottom between vega and altair (2008)::purchase

#6
right away, great captain! – right ahead, young sailor
from the bitter end (2007)::purchase

#5
rx bandits – tainted wheat
from …and the battle begun (2006)::purchase

#4
the sound of animals fighting – this heat
from lover the lord has left us (2006)::purchase

#3
as cities burn – timothy
from come now sleep (2006)::purchase

#2
mewithoutYou – o porcupine
from brother, sister(2006)::purchase

#1
bright eyes – loose leaves
from brother, sister(2006)::purchase

download:: best of the decade pt 1 (songs 1-25)
download:: best of the decade pt 2 (songs 26-50)

in the year 2000, i was a mere 12 years old, just barely beginning my love affair with music. if this list seems naive or immature, it’s probably cause it is. i’ve never claimed to have the most intellectual or mature tastes in music, and alot of these releases probably aren’t the most groundbreaking or important releases of all time. i get that. these are albums i picked that have defined and connected me through some of the most important years of my life

with that being said, read on my friends. comments/feedback as always, are more than welcome.

#10
circle takes the square – as the roots undo

kill the switch, welcome comatose.
this night our journeys through the dark

i’ve been listening to ‘as the roots undo’ since my freshman year in high school and i still have not the slightest clue what circle takes the square are screaming about. the calculated jagged composition on this album is still mind blowing every time i put this record on. it sounds like someone unearthed a swarm of demonic spirits bent on voicing their agonizing coda. one of the most mindblowingly intensely intricate albums i’ve ever heard.
mp3:: circle takes the square – non objective portrait of karma

#9
modest mouse – everywhere and his nasty parlour tricks

get real drunk
and ride our bikes
theres so much beauty it could make ya cry

if i had to pick one modest mouse release that was completely solid from start to finish, this is it. brock is at his absolute best on this record. modest mouse have a knack for creating atmosphere that is rarely found in any other band. just listen to “night on the sun” or “the air” and try not go let the chills shock your spine. this album is perfect for every season.
mp3:: modest mouse – so much beauty in dirt

#8
manchester orchestra – mean everything to nothing

I am the only one that thinks I’m going crazy
I don’t know what to do
I am the only son of a pastor I know
who does the things I do

‘mean everything to nothing’ is the newest album on the list, but deserves no less acclaim than it’s peers. though it’s only been released for a few months, it has had such a lasting affect on me each time i listen to it that i had to put it on here. lead singer/songwriter andy hull is the second coming of jesse lacey, and is slowly filling his massive shoes. songs like “pride” “in my teeth” and the title track “mean everything to nothing” showcase a band mature way beyond their years. i’m confident, years from now i will still look back on this album with the same shining appreciation.
mp3:: manchester orchestra – in my teeth

#7
la dispute – somewhere at the bottom of the river between vega and altair

I’ve found comfort in my suffering
And uncertainty in happiness and death
Because what’s next is such a mystery to me
And I am terrified of all the things I feel but cannot see
Friends and family
Put your hand into my hand and lay your head into my chest
You are all that I have left here
We are all that we have left

rarely has a completely unknown group of musicians blindsided me as la dispute did last fall with their debut full length. everything that makes any album ‘essential’ is contained within the sound barriers of somewhere at the bottom… the lyricism on this album borders aaron weiss greatness, keeping me coming back to lead singer jordan dreyers hopeless cries which induce shudders everytime i listen.
mp3:: la dispute – new storms for older lovers

#6
bright eyes – lifted, or, the story is in the soil keep your ear to the ground

But where was it when I first heard that sweet sound of humility?
It came to my ears in the goddamn loveliest melody
How grateful I was then to be part of the mystery
To love and to be loved
Let’s just hope that is enough

it’s hard to pick just one bright eyes release to be on this list, i could have easily put up his whole discography (*sans cassadaga) without flinching. however, ‘lifted..’ is on here for it’s sentimental value. along with many others i’m sure, this is the first bright eyes record i heard, beginning my undying love for everything oberst.
mp3:: bright eyes – lets not shit ourselves (to love and to be loved)

#5
new found glory – new found glory

here’s to us fools
that have no meaning
i tip my glass to you
let’s toast the night away to friends
and forget about tomorrow

If I could pick a soundtrack to my years leading up to High School, this was it. New Found Glory captured the essence of my late childhood. In a time where I thought I was cool and rebellious because I wore baggy khaki shorts and put too much gel in my hair, New Found Glory was right there with me. I still listen to this album, and love every track. One of those rare albums that is so easy to sing along to. Turn it up and lose yourself.
mp3:: new found glory – ballad for the lost romantics

#4
bright eyes – there is no beginning to the story

i remember countin days down till the year could be done
so i could scatter all my notebooks on the prep school lawn
and disappear again, into a summers bliss
of stayin out and sleepin in and gettin drunk with my friends

The quintessential bright eyes release. Though this EP is only 5 songs long, it is the perfect embodiment of everything that has made Conor Oberst one of the most polarizing figures of the last 10 years. It also features “Loose Leaves” which is hands down, my favorite song of all time.
mp3:: bright eyes – loose leaves

#3
the strokes – is this it

cant you see im tryin?
i dont even like it, i’d just like to get to your apartment
now im stayin here just for a while
i can’t sleep cause im just way too tired

the effect that this album has had on modern rock n roll cannot be undervalued. this is the album that started the dynasty of the greatest modern rock n roll band of the past decade. i still find it hard to get what makes these guys so special. when listening to most of the songs on here it seems this album was written in a half hour due to its simplicity, yet every note, every hit on the drum kit, every tone is mastered to utter perfection.
mp3:: the strokes – is this it

#2
brand new – deja entendu

this is the grace only we can bestow
this is the price you pay for loss of control
this is the break in the bend
this is the closest of calls
this is the reason your alone
this is the rise and the fall

this is first album i ever considered perfect. it was released before i was even legal to drive. i remember religiously listening to a handful of songs that i had gotten off of some now defunct p2p program before it’s release. the day it came out my friend and i walked to our local mall and picked it up. i remember going back to his house and putting it on and just being fully immersed in it from start to finish without moving. deja entendu is roughly translated from french to mean “already heard” but at the time, this was honestly like nothing i had heard before, and it still stands apart in a league all on its own.
mp3:: brand new – okay, i believe you but my tommy gun don’t

#1
mewithoutYou – brother, sister

“you say Judas is a brother of mine?
but sister in our darkness a light shines
and all I ever want to say for the rest of my life
is how that light is G-d,
and though I’ve been mistaken on this or that point,
that light is nevertheless G-d. “

brother, sister is one of those albums that i feel will follow me for the rest of my life. i’m still amazed by this record every time i listen to it. in my eyes aaron weiss cemented himself as the greatest lyricist of my lifetime with this album. there is not a single flaw to be found on ‘brother, sister’. at first listen, it sounds like some crazy bum shouting meaningless nothing’s into a microphone he was just given for the first time in his life, and that’s the true beauty of it. with subsequent listens, this album grows and flourishes unlike anything i’ve ever experienced before, and those meaningless ramblings turn into the most calculated, precisely magnificent lyrics that i’ve heard in my life time.
mp3:: mewithoutYou – o porcupine

Kay Kay kicked things off, playing what I believe was a shortened playlist. For some reason the doors didn’t open till after 7 when the show was actually supposed to start at 7. I’m guessing Kay Kay had to play the shortened set because of that. Playing only a handful of songs, they only showcased 1 or 2 new songs that sounded a lot poppier than the psychedelic jams found on their self-titled debut. Sporting two guitars,bass, a two man horn section, drums, a violin and a cello it’s pretty mindblowing that a band of Kay Kay’s stature could embark on a tour with that many people. Especially considering the show was a meager 12 dollars at the door. Props to them for putting the music first.

I spent most of The Dear Hunter’s set outside, I caught the last 2 songs and got to dance with Huffman from Kay Kay (i think).

Got front and center just in time for mewithoutYou. This was my third time seeing them live, and the first as a headlining set. Although they didn’t play the two songs that I wanted to see the most (the Fox, the Crow, The Cookie and O Porcupine) the set was balanced well between their last three releases. Aaron Weiss commanded the stage as usual, while the band played mwY classics like Four Word Letter Pt. 2 and January 1979. They also covered an assortment of new songs including “every thought a Thought of You” “Angel of Death…” “goodbye, I!” and the epic “King Beetle” before closing with “In A Sweater Poorly Knit” which was by far the set standout. After so much speculation about the band’s future, it seems that the band has ignored it completely. They all seemed genuinely happy to be touring and playing together, and as they’ve said previously, just having a good time and enjoying eachother’s company.

Video from the show (excuse the poor quality. im getting a new camera as this one seems to be completely shot to hell when recording these types of venues)

But what songs will they play?

According to the blog, the band will be interpreting mewithoutYou song’s in a “new way as the Weiss Family puts a new twist on their impressive body of work.”

Unfortunately, the tour is limited to 13 dates.  As I will be unable to see them, I’m requesting anyone that goes take lots of video for youtube for us poor souls who will be left out.  Dates below

WEISS Family Tour dates
Sun/Aug-16           Buffalo, NY               Mohawk Place
Mon/Aug-17          Akron, OH                Musica
Tue/Aug-18           Covington, KY          Madhatter
Wed/Aug-19          St. Louis, MO           Off Broadway
Thu/Aug-20          Memphis, TN            Hi-Tone Café
Fri/Aug-21             Tulsa, OK                 The Marquee
Sat/Aug-22            Springfield, MO        Outland Ballroom
Sun/Aug-23           Nashville, TN            Rocketown
Mon/Aug-24          OFF
Tue/Aug-25            Columbia, SC            New Brookland Tavern
Wed/Aug-26           Carrboro, NC            Cat’s Cradle
Thu/Aug-27            Virginia Beach, VA  The Jewish Mother
Fri/Aug-28              Baltimore, MD         The Ottobar
Sat/Aug-29              Allentown, PA          Crocodile Rock

if you like it, tell a friend and support the aritsts. That’s what it’s all about.

Special thanks go out to my roommate Trevor Christensen for the mix art. Trevor is a phenomenal photographer and you can check out more of his work at his blog or website.

download::  loose leaves [summer 2009 mix]

bright eyes – loose leaves (there is no beginning to the story ep)
anathallo – john j. audubon (canopy glow)
animal collective – summertime clothes (merriweather post pavillion)
maylene and the sons of disaster – step up (im on it) (III)
black moth super rainbow – the sticky (eating us)
the blood brothers – spit shine your black clouds (young machetes)
danger mouse and sparklehorse – little girl (ft. julian casablancas) (dark night of the soul)
deerhunter – saved by old times (on platts eyot island sessions)
dirty projectors – useful chamber (lock and key)
animal collective – what would i want sky (bbc sessions)
mewithoutYou – Allah, Allah, Allah (it’s all crazy!…)
modest mouse – dramamine (this is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about)
mogwai – glasgow mega-snake (mr. beast)
nightmare of you – hey sweetheart (infomaniac)
portugal. the man – the sun (the satanic satanist)
right away, great captain! – anna no (the eventually home)
rx bandits – mientras la veo soñarr (mandala)
yeah yeah yeahs – hysteric (it’s blitz!)
grizzly bear – ready, able (veckatimest)

my review of it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright. can be found here

Head over to the good folks @ap.net to check out a great in-depth interview with Aaron and Rickie of mewithoutYou.

Three years ago, prior to the September 2006 release of mewithoutYou’s third full-length Brother, Sister, the band was known to me by little more than the recognition of “January 1979″. I was intrigued the first time I heard the song, watching the video on some music TV channel, seeing front man Aaron Weiss dance around in his captains outfit shouting things I didn’t understand. I picked up Brother, Sister early one morning after working a long graveyard shift stocking groceries at a local Wal-Mart. Little did I know as I drove home that dark morning, in the frigid Utah winter that what I was listening too would soon become the most profound, life-altering album I had ever heard. I would spend the next 3 years emersed in the depths of Brother, Sister’s lyric booklet, put in awe by the sheer magnitude of a songwriter who is still left unmatched in his deft pen-weilding abilities. Let this be a preface that I may be biased by my undying love for mewithoutYou but It’s impossible for me to believe that this band could write a bad album, and their follow-up, it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright is no exception to that rule.

mewithoutYou has always been known and loved for their ability to craft mathy post-hardcore anthems filled with the hollering-spoken word of Aaron Weiss. It is no surprise that once a band drops nearly everything that has made them recognizable up to a point, a backlash will present itself. In recent interviews prior to the release of it’s all crazy!… the band stated that they went into the songwriting process with no rules and no direction, which is suprising for a band known for everything opposite. Although, it’s all crazy!… may not be the bands most cohesive collection, at 11 songs, the record is void of excessiveness and plays with a very noticeable sense of direction.

it’s all crazy!… opens with perhaps the most poppy song on the record. Backed by an electronic keyboard and thumping bass riff, “every though a Thought of You” begins what will undoubtetly become the bands most polarizing record. The song plays with swift percision in a normal 4/4 timed fashion. The simplicity that will be so apparent throughout the rest of the record is immediately showcased, both musically and in Weiss’s lyricism.

The record’s first half is by far, it’s strongest. “every thought a Thought of You” is followed by the strongest cut “the Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie” where Weiss introduces imagery that will be the central theme for the rest of the record. The song tells the story of a Fox who distracts a local Baker selling his goods on the streets of his poverty-stricken community so that a nearby crow can steal some of his baked treats. After the crow steals the goods, the Fox asks for the stolen cookie. Reluctant at first, the crow is wooed by the Fox’s sly request to hear the crow’s “pearls of wisdom” and the “passion in [his] caw”. The Crow opens his beak to sing, and drops the cookie which is then taken by the Fox. The crow is immediately humbled by the Fox’s trickery as the song climaxes into one of the most oddly beautiful stanzas i’ve ever heard. “we’ll rest upon the knee, where all divisions cease to be!”

The climactic finish of “…the Cookie” is followed by “the Angel of Death came to David’s room” which details the dialogue between…you guessed it, the Angel of Death and David. The song is a slow builder which begin’s with Weiss’s timid spoken word delivery, and then builds into one of the most beautiful refrains the band has ever written (see also: “in a sweater poorly knit”). “goodbye, I!” is a steady follow-up which features mewithoutYou’s signature guitar riffage, creating the perfect backdrop for the albums focal point; Weiss’s lyrics.

As the album progresses, it is apparent that it’s all crazy!… is an album released on the major themes of contentment and worship of God. While the band’s sprituality has always been apart of the main theme of each release, it’s all crazy!… marks the first album to stray away from the questioning and doubt in their relationship, and move towards a straight up record of praise and forgiveness, themes that seem to have been lost in a mainstream American Christianity, marred by a nationalistic supremist exclusivity contradictory to it’s roots. This is clear on what follows in “a Stick, a Carrot & String” where Weiss sings
“When the rain picks up,
and the sun goes down,
sinner, come inside!
with no money, come and buy
no clever talk nor gift to bring
requires our lowly, lovely king
come, all empty handed
you don’t need anything”

The theme continues on “bullet to Binary (pt. two) which ends on Weiss preaching
“we all well know,
we’re gonna reap what we sow
but Grace, we all know,
can take the place of all we owe
so why not lets forgive everyone, everywhere, everything all the time?”

If the album begins to slow down even a little, then it begins with “Timothy Hay”. The track opens with a sunny humming by Weiss and finishes with a layered chorus singing “What a beautiful God there must be!”. While the track is not bad in the slightest, it lacks the depth found in it’s predecessors. The chorus leads into the albums lowest point “Fig with a Bellyache” which is led by eery “ba da da’s” and and spring-like instrumentation. The track is the only one that can be found on the album that lacks certainty and direction, both lyrically and musically, and ends unimpressively awkward.

The three songs that follow keep it’s all crazy!… on track. Cattail Down follows the previously established formula of slowly building it’s way into an epic finish. Featuring a brass backing, and a jazzy guitar riff, the track flows flawlessly into it’s epic ending. However, it seems that lyrically, Weiss is at his best when using parables as his direction. “the King Beetle on a Coconut Estate” tells the story of a colony of beetles, living on an estate where at the end of the day, the helpers rake up the leaves and burn them near the lake. The curious leader and King Beetle calls on the colony to investigate the fiery mystery. All attempts come back unsuccesfull, and the track ends with the King Beetle giving all of his “wealth” to the “poor and alone” and flying “headlong into the blazing unknown!” The track ends masterfully, as the band questions “Why not be utterly changed into fire?”

The album closes on the straightforward anthem “Allah, Allah, Allah” in which Weiss retains his lyrical prowess with suprisingly simple yet powerful words. It is on the closer, that mewithoutYou seems less of a band, and more of a travelling community, content on being messengers of love and forgiveness, as the Neutral Milk Hotel-esque horns become the backdrop to Weiss’s closing “if you’d care to sing Forgiveness songs, come down and join our band, we’ll cut you like a sword, and sing Forgiveness songs!”

It is in these closing words that mewithoutYou’s “statement” can ultimately be found. It would be easy to spend enormous amounts of time studying the lyrics of Aaron Weiss, however, he has made it for the first time, somewhat easy to retain the message. It is easy to write it’s all crazy!… off as lazy or apathetic when comparing it to it’s predecessors. However, when this is done, one loses focus on the message that is ultimately intended by the band. One that seems less focused on the wounds inflicted by self-doubt and more focused on letting them heal. Weiss says it best himself in the closing lines of the album;

“don’t worry, it’ll heal just fine!”

mp3:: mewithoutYou – the Fox, the Crow, the Cookie
mp3:: mewithoutYou – Allah, Allah, Allah

Check out this new trailer for their upcoming release, it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright due out May 19th (thats a week from Tuesday).

MP3:: mewithoutYou- goodbye, I!