I can't help but think mewithoutYou's new album Ten Stories is an apology. Just read the first two paragraphs of their current band biography, and you'll see the band acknowledges it's all crazy! as a cliff from which their core fans were forced to jump. The bio even assigns blame to vocalist Aaron Weiss and the departure of their second guitarist, and finally puts forward this particularly damning gem: "the band had entirely forsaken whatever they’d become."
Pardon my taking the Lord's name in vain, guys, but Jesus Christ! Your band biography is supposed to be a promotional tool, not confession! Despite what many fans -- and even the band, apparently -- think, some of my favorite mewithoutYou tracks ever come from it's all crazy!, including "the Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie," "goodbye, I!," and the sonic meteor that is "the King Beetle on a Coconut Estate." But enough about the band's confirmed black sheep album.
Ten Stories sounds like it could be a direct follow-up to Brother, Sister. You can call it a return to form, maybe a rare instance of a band honoring the complaints of its fanbase, but the bottom line is that Ten Stories is a powerful, moody listen with real gravity-- it's rife with all that intangible stuff that made mewithoutYou so undeniable for years. Weiss both purrs and roars, while the band's new instrumentation embraces the organic, folky warmth of it's all crazy! and weaves it into their signature atmospheric heaviness.
Early album standouts are lead single "February 1878" and "Fox's Dream of the Log Flume," which features a guest spot from Hayley Williams, because why not? If you're unsure about mewithoutYou after The-Album-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named, Ten Stories should allay any fears right quick.
Comments
Baton Rouge
"The Fox, The Crow, and the Cookie," "Goodbye I," and "The King Beetle on a Coconut Estate" ARE all great songs. I am also partial to "Cattail Down," though It's All Crazy... is still easily my least favorite mewithoutYou album. That said...
I feel like everyone is overrating this album a little because it is simply not batshit crazy. I mean, it's definitely good, definitely better than the last one, but just because it doesn't sound like a sample from a mental institution doesn't mean it's awesome. Sorry, Zachie, just had to get that out. Good write up.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Minnesota
Never "got" this band and their appeal. I also hated their live show.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Fishers, Indiana
No, I agree. It's at least tied with It's All Crazy! as the weakest mwY album out, because I did actually like It's All Crazy!
Top Albums: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Baton Rouge
Agree with you 100% on putting it on the same stage as It's All Crazy! Ten Stories is more consistent, but it doesn't really have the standout songs that It's All Crazy! does.
Also, Rick, sorry, your comment didn't show up for some reason.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Fishers, Indiana
What I will give Ten Stories is that is doesn't have any "Colorish Spider" songs. But it also doesn't have anything as heavy-hitting as "A Glass Can Only Spill What it Contains."
Top Albums: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Baton Rouge
Yeah, "Fox's Dream of the Log Flume" is about as hard-hitting as it gets now, but who the hell knows what the guy is talking about?
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Minnesota
I SAID: "Never "got" this band and their appeal. I also hated their live show."
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Reno, NV
I'm with Rick. Definitely getting older and more bitter. But equally this generation is really dumb too. The new mewithoutyou is okay, never listened to any of their other stuff, which sounds a lot worse than their new one based upon your guys' conversation.
Top Weekly Artists Last.fm
West Haven, CT
I've always been bitter and I'm getting older. mewithoutYou's first two CD's were Post-Hardcore top notch CD's. Their third one was a pretty good switch up and everything after kind of falls flat into this weird land of sing along, folk songs. While not bad, it's nothing really to write home about.
Fuckings Greatest Hits: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
Reno, NV
I will write home about how much I generally hate post-hardcore and it will imply I won't be writing home about mewithoutyou's early stuff.
Top Weekly Artists Last.fm
West Haven, CT
Their first three Cd's are the only Cd's worth listening to.
Fuckings Greatest Hits: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
Reno, NV
Mewithoutmewithoutyou 'self titled' is my favorite.
Top Weekly Artists Last.fm
Baton Rouge
No, you guys are just assholes. Whatever Zach and I said was right.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Salt Lake City, UT
Truf here. The new and the one before are blah.
The new is just a recycled amalgamation of the 2-4 albums and "IAC" is just garbage.
http://www.sonnambulanaut.com/
^ Blogthing.
Reno, NV
You are right about us being assholes. :)
Top Weekly Artists Last.fm
Baton Rouge
This has been growing on me. Saw them live last night for the first time in seven years, and they still put on the same high-energy, great show. New songs work well live, too. They actually played more from Brother, Sister than anything, and the last two albums also got a lot of love, but it was good times. Made me re-evaluate what they've done for the last five or six years.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Fishers, Indiana
I haven't seen them live yet. I probably don't have much of an excuse since I used to live right nearby their home base.
I honestly haven't come back to this album much. I still stand by what I wrote, but my attention's been elsewhere. Aaron's got some kickass poetry going on though, that much is for sure.
Top Albums: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Baton Rouge
I saw them twice at Cornerstone '02, and they were just nuts. The first time in the Tooth & Nail tent, they all wore black sweaters in 105 degree heat. At one point, in the middle of a drum roll, the drummer just stood up, ran to the side of the stage, and hurled. Aaron was running around shrieking and throwing flowers everywhere. Pandemonium. The second time they just found a hill and set up their gear impromptu. Aaron stopped screaming in the middle of the set, started mumbling about how they were terrible and no one even got what they were trying to do, and just walked away while the band kept playing. The drummer from Zao tracked him down and talked him into getting back on stage. Despite all the chaos, you could tell this was going to be a band that would stick around for awhile. They certainly won me over.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Baton Rouge
Also, you should really go seem them play, you Yankee. They really are in your backyard, and they're still pretty nuts. The last time they were even close to me or even in the state was 2005, at a venue so crappy they even let my band play there.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/