mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright

If I am being completely honest, I hated mewithoutYou's newest release It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright when I first heard it. I thought it to be slow and poorly written and I thought this a great letdown, as mewithoutYou has consistently blown me away with each new release. Then yesterday, I decided to give their newest a second chance. I knew there had to be something there - and there is. Upon second (and subsequent third) listen, I realized the genius behind the songs. The reason I disliked it initially was because it is such a departure from their previous material, making an even bigger leap in sound than what was seen between Catch For Us The Foxes and Brother, Sister. However, once I was able to dig into the songs and pull them apart, I found that they were in actuality brilliant. Not only so, but musically, the songs show a maturity and talent that was perhaps not fully realized on earlier releases. When I was able to get past the block in my mind of what they should sound like, I was able to fall in love with what they do sound like.

Give this album a chance (or two) and see if you don't feel the same way.

Tracklisting:
1. Every Thought a Thought of You
2. The Fox, The Crow, and The Cookie
3. The Angel of Death Came To David's Room
4. Goodbye, I
5. A Stick, A Carrot, and A String
6. Bullet To Binary (pt. Two)
7. Timothy Hay
8. Fig With a Bellyache
9. Cattail Down
10. The Beetle King on a Coconut Estate
11. Allah, Allah, Allah

Highlight Tracks: "The Fox, The Crow, and The Cookie", "Timothy Hay", "Cattail Down", "The Beetle King on a Coconut Estate"

mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister

Pennsylvania's mewithoutYou is undoubtedly one of the most individual bands around. In it's earliest inception, mewithoutYou had more of an edge and frontman Aaron Weiss' vocals teetered on the verge of a scream. On their second studio release, "Catch For Us The Foxes", the boys, though retaining their edge at times, showed a softer side, seen best on the track "Carousels". Their songs became less about the songs themselves, and more about what Weiss had to say. The music, however, has never had a problem keeping up with such amazing lyricism.

On their most recent album "Brother, Sister", mewithoutYou once again showed that they have teeth. At times the songs are more hard-hitting than their previous material, but then it can effortlessly shift into a track such as "Yellow Spider" which is based around an acoustic guitar, an accordion, and hushed vocals singing "made this world to look so nice, I wonder what the next one's like". "Brother, Sister" shows an amount of musicianship that is awe-inspiring, utilizing harps, accordions, percussion instruments, and unconventional background vocals.

Tracklisting:
1. Messes of Men
2. The Dryness & The Rain
3. Wolf Am I! (And Shadow)
4. Yellow Spider
5. A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains
6. Nice & Blue, Pt. 2
7. The Sun & The Moon
8. Orange Spider
9. C-Minor
10. In A Market Dimly Lit
11. O, Porcupine
12. Brownish Spider
13. In A Sweater Poorly Knit

Highlight Tracks: "The Dryness & The Rain", "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains", "In A Sweater Poorly Knit"