A passage to indie: Mew are Denmark’s gift to prog rock
Danish indie rockers Mew are a tangle of contradictions, Paul Kay tries to solve the riddle
"PROGRESSIVE" IS often used to describe Danish rockers Mew - and with good reason. Their expansive indie rock transports the genre to a nigh-epic realm and the live shows are similarly ambitious in scope and execution.
Mew are progressive in helping fans experience their music, as a recent multimedia collaboration with electronics brand Bang & Olufsen demonstrates. Yet they remain resolutely traditional in their beliefs of what the band and its albums represent. The paradoxes make Mew a band that is difficult to pigeonhole.
Formed in suburban Copenhagen in 1994, Mew began life as a four-piece, with childhood friends Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen and Johan Wohlert joined by Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen. A first album, A Triumph of Man, was released in 1997 and, by the time Wohlert left in 2006, Mew had recorded three more studio albums and built a reputation as one of Europe's most intriguing live acts.
"I think we've always had a playful approach to music and a need to be inventive," lead singer Bjerre says. "That's part of why we make choices that seem strange to a lot of people. But if you connect with it, I think it really holds something special. We really do put our heart and soul into it.
"To me, music is about exploring your imagination, and expressing yourself emotionally. And I think we've gotten a lot better at it over the years."
The breakthrough came in 2003 with the release of a third album, Frengers, and a stint supporting R.E.M. touring Europe. Two years later, And the Glass Handed Kites saw the band's musical ambition swell to grandiose levels. Mew drew acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork.com which gave the album a glowing review and described the band as "Queensryche meets Sigur Ros".