iiiCopenhagen-based alternative rockers Mew set new standards with their fifth studio album No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They've Washed Away/No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away, a 14-track album well worth the four-year wait.
No More Stories... sees the return of Rich Costey, who produced 2003's Frengers, an album that brought Mew to the attention of the world. This album echoes that pristine production, with layer upon layer of instrumentation, and beautifully simplistic lyrics.
Mew uses everything from synths to glockenspiels to create their abstract, dream-like rock. Although they claim this album is more upbeat than the previous one, No More Stories... still has its share of mellow tunes such as Silas the Magic Car and Hawaii Dream - which provides the lyrics for the album title.
Introducing Palace Players is where the funk kicks in, with syncopated drum beats and raw guitars. This cheerfulness appears in several songs, such as Tricks, and may upset fans of their earlier work.
But songs like Hawaii will appeal to new and old fans alike, singer Jonas Bjerre's delicate, unusually high-pitched voice spinning the lyrics to what could be a daydreamer's anthem.
For an extra treat, listen to first track New Terrain in reverse to reveal hidden song Nervous.
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