Mew – Disaesthetic

Most Disappointing Albums of 2017

Most-Disappointing

Jonas Bjerre // Photo Credit: Stephen McKendree

I’m just gonna say it, Mew’s Visuals disheartened me. Oh yeah, we’re going right for the hangnail. Anyone acquainted with me knows Mew is still one of my favorite bands. They were the first ambitious dive into more unknown and independent artists back when I was finding my tastes. Frengers might be my favorite album, ever. Definitely on the list of albums I’d take stranded to a deserted island but Visuals departs from everything I always loved about them.

The composition of songs seem pop focused and built from keyboards and synths rather than anamorphic guitars. Don’t make any assumptions about my opinions on digitally produced sounds either. + – explored this territory too however the roots of Mew could still be heard. Check the bridge from “Satellites” two minutes in for yourself. I remember how triumphant it felt hearing that section after such a long hiatus. There’s no reference back to the progressive melodies from No More Stories… or any of the enchanting multi-layered percussive recordings. I don’t find myself drifting from the present like I usually would. I don’t doubt their intentions but I can’t help stepping outside my biases and say most of Visuals sounds like hipster car commercial trash. It honestly hurts to say that but listen to “85 Videos” and “Carry Me to Safety” to judge for yourself. “The Wake of Your Life” sounds like some Young The Giant bullshit.

I don’t have any explanation or cause for why they took this direction. Mew have always worked on their terms. I don’t suspect any kind of A&R or label coercion but I am disappointed in what they’ve produced this time. Hopefully it’s nothing more than an experiment.

Perhaps the most disappointing album came from Volumes, whom I hyped heavily since last year. Strong singles but a disjointed portfolio. “Feels Good” still stands out despite most of the remaining index. It’s one of few tracks from this batch building of No Sleep and the dynamic vocal structures and “djent” rhythms established since their inception. Perhaps “Feels Good” was conceived before the departure of Michael Barr. Volumes hasn’t fully synced with replacement Myke Terry yet. Rather than focus their growth around a talent who can actually sing and back Gus Farias they opted for an extremely stark rap venture.

Plainly the attempt
doesn’t work

“Hope” compels the sneer I get when Kevin Malone spills his stock pot of chill in The Office. It’s a mess and plainly the attempt doesn’t work. I’ve always liked Volumes’ stylistic incorporation of hip hop through two frontmen hyping each other, layering their vocals strategically. This full dive into actually rapping flounders. Using Pouya for “On Her Mind” actually works because he’s a rapper and they accomplished writing a foundation, in their style, to rap over. Different Animals seems a lot like the cover art, buckets of paint thrown at the wall.

There’s an honest attempt to make the most of Terry but the execution didn’t yield what I wanted. This idea artists produce what we want is convoluted and problematic but it shouldn’t matter what we want. Many times record companies force artists to create what audiences want however I don’t suspect Volumes were pressured to make anything specific. Going of that logic, they made exactly what they wanted but I doubt they got the targeted response. Certainly not from me.

Northlane didn’t disappoint in the same way as Mew or Volumes. Their campaign to promote and release Mesmer failed garner people’s attention. The album itself didn’t bother me but I think psychologically it’s an interesting album release to reflect on. Northlane tried the Beyoncé route, releasing an album digitally unannounced and without promotion, a foolishly idea that ultimately failed the project.

It worked for Beyoncé for many simple reasons, mainly she’s arguably the most popular female singer in the world. Never forget she and her camp famous worked in secret and struck right before Christmas, 2013. Before then she had her first child and looking back the world seemed to think of her as a famous celebrity rather than a once in a lifetime artist. Northlane forgot they weren’t Beyoncé and lost a great opportunity to generate the appropriate buildup for Mesmer. I found musically most received it well, including bigger publications. Again, they missed an opportunity to raise awareness and anticipation in releasing “Intuition” at the beginning of the year.

Thanks again for reading. Check back next Friday for some blind hype on next year’s expected albums.

Music Wire #4

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Visiting Japan requires taking the trains to get from one place to another. There’s quality time to catch up on new music. When I arrived in Narita International I took the plunge on Father John Misty’s Pure Comedy. I liked his debut album but hadn’t care much about anything since. There’s been an overwhelming acclaim from the release through his Coachella performance.

Andrew, whom I’m visiting, wrote about it’s future staying power, grading its replay as 4/5 multiple plays. He graded Joey Bada$$’s AmeriKKKan Bada$$ similarly. It’s Joey’s most refined product as an artist. “For My People” stands out. Bada$$ still embraces NYC early 90’s vibes. Simple drum kit beat with high flying sax line. The balanced mix of pop vocals and progressively compact rhythms yield respect from fans of popular to subterranean artists. Homage was paid to 1994.

There’s some other albums I’ve been meaning to experience. Mew’s Visuals, Martyr Defiled’s Young Gods, and Planning For Burial’s Below the House. Riding the local lines or Shinkansen provide plenty of silence to fill. It’s a beautiful country to watch go by.

Influential Records

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I’ve always thought about hierarchy when it comes to my taste in bands, artists, and music. I like listing out in my head who are my favorites and what order they’re in. When a new band comes along it’s always fun to see where they rank with old favorites and where they are years later. Before starting this I thought about listing my top favorite records or bands but that seemed like a really long prospect. Instead, since I promised myself I’d have something out sooner, I borrowed a concept of weaving my thoughts to static. So many bands and musicians have impacted me but without hesitation four individuals were above the rest. One moment in time, a seminal record, influenced me forever. They may change someday but these have stood for years, some for decades.

Still young in time, I cannot deny the impact Roomrunner had on me when I got their first tape. It changed how I wanted to write and play music. It changed how I dressed in a small way. I had to go see them some years ago the only time they came out to the west coast. RMRNNR bled with noise and turned up the sonic dial whenever they damn well pleased. The beautiful thing about them was their simplicity. Under all their effects the music was simple yet elegant. They understood how to exploit the desired sound from their instruments with what I call easy playing. Usually critics call this functional playing. They weren’t functional however. Simpler chords were used to accomplish what their style asked for. They were all proficient players but much like Tool it was about sculpting the piece.

While I know they hate the comparisons to Nirvana its undeniable they sound like what made Seattle’s best unique. RMRNNR evolved that sound to the level I had always wanted to hear next. I like In Utero as much as most but it was a response to the fame and expectations acquired from Nevermnind. I always wondered what they would have sounded like if Teen Spirit never made them famous or if they stayed at the same level from Bleach. I think they would have sounded like RMRNNR or gone towards that path. That’s a high complement I couldn’t pay to anyone else. They were what everyone was waiting for.

My personal evolution in indie rock started with Radiohead. They’re kinda like the gateway into the genre like pot is to recreational drugs. In high school I found Mew on those random music channels you get with your cable provider. My uncle who introduced me to RH was also a fan. The Danish band came along at a perfect time. They had progressive elements that my metal tastes like but at the same time I felt a connection with Denmark again. Their lyrics had an element of mystery but they were obviously emotional in nature. My adolescent self sucked that up like crack. I still do when it feels right.

Frengers will always be their best work. “Am I Wry? No” leads off with a memorable melody into a captivating riff. It sets the air for the album that’s present through out. “Comforting Sounds” builds up for four minutes, keeps your attention, and breaks out into bombastic and enchanting sections. I listened to that record through and through for years. Finally seeing them last year was rewarding. My ex asked if I wanted to go closer to the stage at The Observatory but I only wanted to see them from afar. I love participating in shows but this time it was prudent to just behold them.

There are bands that change the way you cut your hair, influence the cloths your wear, tattoo their art on your body. Thursday are my favorite band and that will never change. They broke at a time when the internet ingrain itself into our everyday lives. Full Collapse spread by word of mouth like many great underground albums do. The internet pushed it through a warp gate. They went from indie band to crashing the party on the pop charts with “Understanding in a Car Crash” playing three times a day on MTV. Their music sounded how I felt during those times. It still resonates now.

Geoff Rickly became like Jesus to me, and many others. He had all the questions I had and sometimes their answers. His honest liberated me. It spoke about grieving friends and family, love lost, or even dark specters in suicide or rape. If Kurt Cobain made it ok to have feelings, Geoff freed them. There wasn’t anything that couldn’t be discussed. I only got to see them once but it was a religious experience. My close friend Greg still gives me crap about the funny photo I took with Geoff or how primordial I got during the show. I still have no tattoos and probably won’t get many. When I decide to have one it will be their dove.

Remembering my earliest memory of music I go back to my biological father in Denmark. I recall Bob Marley, Tupac, and Nirvana but none of them as early or significant as Metallica. “Enter Sandman” is not only my first recollection of music but it’s also the best song I’ve ever heard. That’s my opinion. I’ve wanted to write it down as a statement for years. That song and The Black Album are what The Beatles represent to most. It’s a musical starting point. There’s a reason why I gravitate to heavier sounding music, judge songs by riffs, and seek certain structures in music. Metallica is the reason.

Before 1991, they had just come off touring …And Justice for All around the world. This concert from Seattle encapsulates the band at their peak of writing ridiculously fast and chaotic metal. There was nothing like them. Just look at the fracasing crowd. Metallica took their style at the time to highest level of success possible. What they did with The Black Album however drew all the metalheads and everyone else in world. People who were completely clueless about metal praised this record. The most common criticism here lies in the pace of its songs. No longer were they speed and sweeps. Lar Ulrich when asked about if they sold out as band (Metal Evolution Thrash Episode) replied making another fast album would have been selling out. They went in another direction rather than just doing what Slayer does. I have no complaints about doing the same kind of record over and over again. It’s worked out well for them but there’s a reason one band is far more regarded and popular than the other. Without this change I may have never gone the metal direction. I’m sure so many others could say the same.

Just imagine what you would be like if heard something different during impressionable times. If Garth Brooks had influenced me early on I clearly would be different. Think how disparate everything about me would be. Music influences how we think which effects our behavior. It changes how we look, feel, express our lives. Looking at what shaped us explains not only the past but the present and future too.