The Danish four-piece Mew have finally composed a follow-up to their third release, the award-winning "Frengers". This fourth album carries the title of "And the Glass Handed Kites", and is quite a challenging album to listen...

The music on "And the Glass Handed Kites" flows effortlessly forwards, but unfortunately there isn't much for the listener to grasp in terms of memorable sections (the music doesn't exactly fall to the category of easy listening). This characteristic probably repels some listeners, but at the same time it ascertains the music is varying (at least to some extent). The album opener really took me by surprise with its slightly progressive nature. I reckon, one has to really concentrate on the music for this record to truly shine... otherwise it'll inexorably sound dull. However, if listened observantly, listening to this record becomes rewarding.

The sound quality of the recordings on this album is really high - definitely enough to appease those with high-end systems. What's remarkable about the soundscape of this record is that it remains atmospheric at all times without losing clarity... I'll have to direct my thanks to George Marino at Sterling Sound for mastering this record. Also Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby of Manna Productions deserve the acknowledgement due to their transparent mix.

After listening to this album over and over again, few tracks start to appeal more than others... however, all tracks are good, but in different ways. This group was actually awarded as the 'Nordic Breakthrough Artist' at the Nordic Music Awards in Copenhagen last Saturday night (October 29th, 2005). So, in case you're open-minded about pop rock and ready for challenging record, give Mew's "And the Glass Handed Kites" a listen.

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- MAGE (October 31th, 2005)

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LINE-UP:
Bjerre, Jonas: Vocals Madsen, Bo: Guitar Wohlert, Johan: Bass Jørgensen, Silas Utke Graae: Drums with Rande, Bo: Flügel Horn on Tracks 2 & 3 Mauritzen, Lasse: French Horn on Tracks 2, 3 & 14 Stark, Rebecca: Soprano Voice on Tracks 2 & 8 Mascis, J: Additional Vocals on Track 3, Additional Backing Vocals on Track 10 Tutunjian, Damon: Additional Guitar on Track 5 - Boy Choir on Track 13 - Christensen, Mathias Aagaard Jakobsen, Frederik Peter De Fries, Niklas Emil Larsen, Frederik Stadager
Producer:	Beinhorn, Michael
Mixing by:	Bacon, Kevin & Quarmby, Jonathan
Mastering by:	Marino, George

	TRACKLIST:
	01. Circuitry of the Wolf 02. Chinaberry Tree 03. Why Are You Looking Grave? 04. Fox Cub 05. Apocalypso 06. Special 07. The Zookeeper's Boy 08. A Dark Design 09. Saviours of Jazz Ballet (Fear Me, December) 10. An Envoy to the Open Fields 11. Small Ambulance 12. The Seething Rain Weeps for You (Uda Pruda) 13. White Lips Kissed 14. Louise Louisa Length: 54:02