Mew @ The Turf Club 8/13/17

Okay, so Mew returned to Minnesota for the 2nd time in nearly 2 years (Here's my review from the October 5, 2015 show in Minneapolis at The Triple Rock Social Club).

And for the 2nd time, I can say they blew me away. I think part of it is hearing many of the songs, namely the Frengers/Kites/No More Stories tunes, live, has this amazing ability to bring me NOSTALGIA.

And like the show in 2015, I couldn't help but blubber a bit, succumbing to tears. The videos (*Visuals*) add a lot. So dreamy, dark, twisted, and surreal. They get to escape into the music actually.

And I'm just going to add right here in the review:

A Feature Entry(s) and Video is long overdue about Mew. And certainly I doubt I'll be able to avoid among the anecdotes, the memories/images of a couple tunes. "Zookeeper's Boy" and how I always think of the Michel Gondry/Gael Garcia-Bernal film The Science of Sleep, which oddly, when I started writing in this blog in December of 2006, I recall writing a review or referencing it. Granted, I saw that movie at Lagoon Theater in September or October of 2006, so it was a few months before then. But the Summer/Fall of 2006 also was my Mew discovery period.

Also "Louise Louisa" I think it is off Kites, in recent years has hit me like a ton of bricks for some reason associating it with the experience of 1st meeting my wife at KFAI.

But hopefully those long-winded tales will be found at a near-future form.

back to this review. The new songs so work pretty well live. "Twist Quest"  and "Nothingness and No Regrets / Season" along with "Water Slides" from Plus Minus.

They just create such great atmosphere, I can't help but be swept up in what they present.

And for the 2nd time in 2 years, the band were gracious enough to hang around and chat with the fans here. Jonas, Johan Wohlert, Mads, Dr. (Nick) Watts, and Silas who I only got to speak to briefly as I was leaving. It was absolutely STORMING out though; per thankfully I didn't have a long trek to make from St.Paul. The band and some of the fans there, I feel for, like friends from Facebook Jared and his brother Matt (although Matt told me he now resides in Golden Valley, but Jared is from Austin, MN. Both of them I guess seeing their 1st Mew concert).

But the band were very down-to-earth, engaging like a couple of years ago. I spoke with Jonas about Prince even, and I just skimmed that review from 2 years ago, we chatted about Prince back then as well, lol. But also Kimbra. Per her guesting on Plus Minus, and Jonas guesting on The Golden Echo, I wonder if they could do a tour at some point together. If it happens, I would not be surprised. Kimbra I guess is in Japan right now, but she has a new album in the works, so who knows.

Anyway, I can't really say enough good things about last night, save for I am grateful they are still a band, making music and touring. I mentioned Oceansize, Pure Reason Revolution and Vennart to some of the fans and guys in Mew.  I can't find it right now, but there was an article around 2006 (or maybe 2007 or 2005) that mentioned Mew, PRR and I want to say Klaxons. Oceansize may have also been mentioned, but they were buzzed about on the forums with those 2. Klaxons?..never got into them.

but when I met Mike Vennart last April with Biffy Clyro, I mention both PRR and Mew to him and I thought he said 'Size did a gig or even a tour with Mew at 1 point.  But I look at the progressive band from Europe/UK from the last decade, and with PRR and Oceansize not around now, I am still grateful Mew is. I guess they ultimately had the most crossover appeal among those 3, for whatever reason.

More on this hopefully soon i.e. talking about my history and Mew's albums, etc. Since it is long overdue in a lot of ways.










(photos per Jared on the Mew fan group on FB)

In a Better Place
Special
The Zookeeper's Boy
Candy Pieces All Smeared Out
Satellites
Introducing Palace Players
Snow Brigade
Start
Twist Quest
Water Slides
Apocalypso
Saviours of Jazz Ballet
The Zookeeper's Boy
Carry Me to Safety

Encore
Nothingness And No Regrets / Seasons
Am I Wry? No
156
Comforting Sounds

Mew - Making Friends video

Kind of transparent, lol. Still, it reminds me some of their older videos with the dreamy/imaginative use of visuals, lighting, shade, and strange images you might experience in a dream.

Kimbra with Mew (Live at Webster Hall in NYC)

This would have been amazing to see, at least there is this video.

Mew 10/5/15 at The Triple Rock Social Club

Well to follow-up yesterday's 9-years-to-the-day anniversary show of a sorts that's the entry below this, here's a review of last night's actual show.

The set list is from a number of shows recently on this tour of theirs. The only 1 that is throwing me off was "Making Friends" which in looking at another live video of it, I do think they did it, I'm just not having it stand out as much I suppose.

But as far as the rest of the set list, this was quite pleasing. Between getting "Sometimes Life Isn't Easy" from No More Stories, to "She Spider" which has always been a favorite of mine, and feel it's not mentioned enough as a standout from Frengers. To that medley being a huge goosebump part. "Clinging to a Bad Dream" has become one of my favorites on Plus Minus, and "Louise Louisa" I have fallen head over heals in love with, with it's sad/melancholic tone, as I wrote a bit about in the previous entry.

And then there was the epic "Rows" which is a phenomenal multi-part track in the studio, that at 1st I only partially recognized. But as it went along and we got to my favorite sections, I was pretty floored by it. The drum/percussion outro is so good, I wish they'd play it for 5 or 10 minutes longer than it goes for. I really hope it becomes like "Comforting Sounds" per a staple live track, as I think it translates even better live. Very trippy and dreamy and mesmerizing.

The rest of the show was also engaging, as they played to the crowd even. Jonas even had the crowd sing some of the choruses on songs like "The Zookeeper's Boy" and "Snow Brigade" which just added to how great this was.

While I hold a special place for that show+partial show I saw at The Fine Line back in 2006, this show definitely was an event to not forget. Very much an epic, energetic, and fulfilling concert, that I kind of have waited for and wanted to experience ever since becoming a Mew fan in 2006.

And to top it all off, I was incredibly overjoyed to get to hang out and chat with all the band members including Jonas Bjerre, after the show outside. I probably spent 30-45 minutes with them and the fans, which I'll admit, I did not expect at all. I wonder if this show, being that it ended at like 10:30PM, the band were into mixing with some of the crowd afterwards per the early start and end time? Or maybe more so, they are just more up for signing autographs and pics now.

And the response and crowd size seemed to really get a good reaction from them. I recall 1 of their guitarists (Johan?) said something on stage about "I know this is normally Prince's town, but I think tonight it's YOUR town" referring to the crowd, etc. In chatting with Jonas a little about Minnesota, he said he saw Prince back in Denmark recently, so obviously he and the band presumably are fans.

But shooting the shit with them was really *special* in a lot of ways, and as memorable a part of this show. I did get them to sign my vinyl, and had my camera, but the battery unfortunately was more or less dead, so no pics or video for me.

As far as their future and touring, I guess I would love to see them back again, and it very well could happen, sooner than in another 9 years, lol. Maybe even next year, depending on if they do more touring to support Plus Minus. But I guess after the long desired and epic nature of last night's show, I can feel a level of fulfillment about Mew, if by some chance this is it, or there is another long gap in the time they return to my hometown.

Witness
Satellites
Special
The Zookeeper's Boy
Introducing Palace Players
Sometimes Life Isn't Easy
Water Slides
Snow Brigade
She Spider
Medley
(Clinging to a Bad Dream/The Zookeeper's Boy/Louise Louisa)
Making Friends
Rows
Am I Wry? No
156

Encore:
My Complications
Comforting Sounds

MEW in Minnesota: 9 Years ago Tonight 10/05/2006

I thought I would just pass this along; what I posted on Facebook, realizing it is exactly 9 years to the day, that I 1st saw Mew. That is rather EERIE.

Then the headline gig they did on October 26th, 2006, I only caught the last couple of songs and the encore per it was also the same night Kaddisfly played at the old The Toybox venue in Minneapolis off Hiawatha. I saw K-Fly, and then scooted down to The Fine Line and caught the end of their show.

Anjd of course they have not returned to Minnesota since, until tonight, October 5th, 2006.

9 years ago tonight, I first saw Mew live. In Minneapolis supporting Kasabianat Fine Line Music Cafe. They returned to headline at The Fine Line 3-weeks later on October 26th, 2006. And they have not returned to Minnesota since, until tonight at Triple Rock Social Club, Which is exactly 9 years to the day of that 1st show I saw them.

Here's a clip from that 10/5/06 show.



I will likely/per time, write a review of tonight show. The Dodos open.

I already checked out a likely set list, and I can't say I will be disappointed, etc.

I also think though, Mew, and the album And the Glass Handed Kites just evokes this incredibly strong and sad sense of emotion and nostalgia for me for some reason. The last song "Louise Louisa" especially in the last 9 months, although I get this image of meeting my fiancee at KFAI in 2011 with it, before and right around that time.

But I also can't forget seeing The Science of Sleep, 1 of the 1st things I ever wrote about in this blog, with Mew, and an Anathallo show. But that film, and going down to Lagoon Theater 1 late afternoon around that time.

That along with sad nostalgia I get from the early and especially mid 2000's, Mew's music triggers.

I should probably elaborate at some point about this whole topic/idea..periods of time in my life, nostalgia, music, and feeling really sad and almost depressed about it..the longing to want to go back in time, to that time, etc. All the bands from that period of time I discovered and many of them are gone/retired/broken up or barely active now.

Hopefully more on that later..but for now, I do have a wonderful concert to look forward to.

Mew - Witness [Official Video]

some criticism of this video in the comments, which I follow. There's not really a lot of imagery or anything, just the band playing the song within a crowd, full of a lot of young women.

I guess I picture something different with this song, but whatever. The whole Smells Like Teen Spirit comparison is laughable at best.

Bo Madsen, guitarist of Mew, leaves the band

As a passionate fan of Mew, this comes as a pretty big surprise. I suppose his name, isn't as well known as Jonas Bjerre, and for that matter the Mew name, but the fact is he had been with them for more or less their entire history and was largely responsible for many of the elements to their sound I love. So to say his departure is significant in their future seems likely.

Now, the way that reads below, it says "for the time being" so it may not be permanent. I dunno, it might become like a studio vs live thing, or it may be he needs a break and down the road he may come back.

Mads Wegener I've never heard of, but just using Google, it shows he's a guitar teacher I guess and maybe has played with some bands/projects. One being the Danish band The Storm, which newly returned Mew bassist Johan Wohlert has been involved with when he became a father and had left Mew in 2006. Which The Storm is a band with his wife Pernille Rosendahl.

I guess we'll see what Mads Wegener's role will be and the future of Mew's guitarist. Perhaps even some stuff will be known when they come to the States in the Fall. But it is too bad Bo could not have at least stayed on for that tour.



http://www.mewx.info/bo-madsen-leaves-mew/

Bad news, guys. There had been rumours lately, but now we have a statement from Mew: 
“After 20 years playing together in Mew, the band and Bo Madsen have decided to part ways for the time being. At present the rest of us will continue with Mew. We are happy to tell you that guitarist Mads Wegner will be joining us on our upcoming shows, and we look forward to seeing you all out there. 
Thank you for your understanding and support. 
–Jonas, Johan and Silas.” 

Mew - The Nightbeliever [Official Video ft "Frengers"]

official video featuring "Frengers" aka Mew fans.

Mew: 2015 North America Fall Tour (including Minneapolis!)

The image below is only partial dates.

There are more tour dates listed and linked on the link below for other areas, namely Europe of course. But finally they are coming back not only to North America for a tour, but to Minneapolis!

It seems like ages I saw them twice within 6 weeks the Fall of 2006 at The Fine Line, and then nothing.

Monday October 5th at The Triple Rock. Tickets are on sale to the general public on Friday June 12th.



http://mewsite.com/tour/

NORTH PARK THEATRE
San Diego, CA, USA, Sep 17. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE OBSERVATORY
Santa Ana, CA, USA, Sep 18. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE BUNKHOUSE SALOON
Las Vegas, NV, USA, Sep 19. 2015

THE FONDA THEATRE
Los Angeles, CA, USA, Sep 25. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE FILLMORE
San Francisco, CA, USA, Sep 26. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

WONDER BALLROOM
Portland, OR, USA, Sep 28. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

VENUE
Vancouver, BC, Canada, Sep 29. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

NEUMOS
Seattle, WA, USA, Sep 30. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

THE COMPLEX
Salt Lake City, UT, USA, Oct 02. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

GOTHIC THEATRE
Englewood, CO, USA, Oct 03. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

TRIPLE ROCK
Minneapolis, MN, USA, Oct 05. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10  

METRO
Chicago, IL, USA, Oct 06. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

LEE'S PALACE
Toronto, ON, Canada, Oct 07. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

9:30 CLUB
Washington, D.C, USA, Oct 09. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

WEBSTER HALL
New York, NY, USA, Oct 10. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

PARADISE ROCK CLUB
Boston, MA, USA, Oct 11. 2015
PRE SALE 06/10

CORONA CAPTIAL FESTIVAL
Mexico City, Nov 21. - Nov 22. 2015

Mew - + - (2014-2015)

4/20/15 5:34AM

Whole Album:

http://www.npr.org/2015/04/19/399615381/first-listen-mew

1-week from release, they put it up to stream. Digging it. I guess Kimbra sings on  "The Night Believer" (I'm streaming right now before I head to work, and am not that far into the stream yet).


4/10/15 1:56PM

update:


4/9/15 5:44AM

A couple of other tracks shared (for now, at least, no guarantee they stay shared). The Night Believer I like (even for a Radio Edit), Witness...not as sure about. As someone who really loves most of this band's work, and really enjoyed No More Stories quite a lot, I'm starting to question how much I'm going to love this record. Granted, sometimes songs and bands can just get better with a little time.

But I guess I'm not super-duper-uberly jazzed for this record as much as I might think I would be having heard a decent amount of it. I'm hoping at least a couple of the songs will blow me away like "Apocalypso" or "Am I Wry? No" etc..




4/7/15 3:55PM

This was shared a few weeks ago, but here's the official video.

Less than 3 weeks from the release date..




3/10/15 12:23PM

Not bad, although it almost sounds like a segue track.

Link to Stream of "Water Slides"

anticipate a few edits/add-ins for alternative links/embeds since trend-music links are best avoided if possible.


2/2/15 4:50PM

Link to official video for "Satellites"

why it is *unlisted* and recommended to not be shared, because this site gets an *exclusive* premiere? I don't follow. People are going to share it anyway, but whatevah, I linked it to their site for now.

1/29/15 2:37PM



FB link


(Spotify)


1/21/15 5:23AM
itunes has the track times added below. The whole record clocks in at around 1 hour, including the 10+ minute piece "Rows"

1/19/15 9:18AM



Wednesday January 21st Preorder which is is online Here
Release date is April 27th

Odd title, and the "-" part may always throw me off (and it may be easier just to write "Plus Minus").

Edited Clip of the song "Satellites" sounds pretty sweet.

US Tour Dates?..given they are playing SXSW in Texas in Mid March, I gotta believe they will try and play some other shows in the States, but those have yet to be announced yet.

edit: below is supposedly the tracklist (per a post on absolutepunk)

edit 2:
Tracklist here:
http://mewsite.com/news/


We are pleased to announce our new album + - is released on April 27th, pre-order from Weds 21 Jan, and we will be touring Europe in May! Listen to ‘Satellites’ and see all dates on our new website: http://www.mewsite.com/

edit 3:  

Some more details, observations and information per

MewX.info (including Kimbra being involved)
Plus Minus will only include ten tracks, but they are above average in length. Those who saw the recent live shows already know that Satellites, My Complications and Cross The River On Your Own were all in the range of 6 to 7 minutes each when played live, and they will certainly not be any shorter on the album. The version of Satellites you heard today is – of course – a radio edit. Proper single release for the aforementioned song will take place on March 9th and extra songs are expected for the same release date (call them b-sides or whatever). Russell Lissack (of Bloc Party) and Kimbra are confirmed collaborators on Plus Minus. No information on possible music videos yet, but it is expected (or hoped for) that Martin de Thurah would return. Time will tell.

Tracks we’ve not heard so far are The Night Believer, Interview The Girls and Rows. Clinging To A Bad Dream is – as the lyrics revealed a while back – the song we’ve come to know as Changes or even Koor. This is one of the weirder tracks on the album and it changes radically a few times (prepare to hear Silas Graae and Bo Madsen go “nuts” here). If there’s a dark, so-called David Lynch track on the album, it is this one. Mew never had a problem spending weeks or even months on ONE track. Sold yet?

As was expected, Cross The River On Your Own will be the finale, and Johan Wohlert has already called it one of his favourite tracks on the album. Mew always know how to close a record and this is no exception.

01 Satellites 6:09
02 Witness 3:01
03 The Night Believer 4:12
04 Making Friends 4:52
05 Clinging to a Bad Dream 6:43
06 My Complications 6:03
07 Water Slides 5:04
08 Interview the Girls 4:04
09 Rows 10:42
10 Cross the River on Your Own 7:28

Frengers, 

We are very excited to announce that our new album '+ -' will be released on 27th April 2015. 

Go to our new website at www.mewsite.com to hear ‘Satellites’ - the first song from the new album.

+ - will be available to pre-order on Wednesday 21st January HERE.  

Formats available are: CD, Heavyweight Gatefold Double 12" Vinyl LP (including CD insert), and a Deluxe Hard-Back Double CD Book (featuring + - and live recordings from 2014).

We are also delighted to announce a European tour in May, with a special pre-sale starting at 9am on Wednesday 21st January HERE. 

These tickets are also available to buy in an optional bundle with the new album. 

EUROPE MAY 2015

17/05/15: O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK

19/05/15: HMV Ritz, Manchester, UK

20/05/15: Roundhouse, London, UK

22/05/15: La Fleche D’Or, Paris, France

23/05/15: Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands

25/05/15: Lido, Berlin, Germany

This year will be a very exciting one for us all, we look forward to sharing the new album with you and seeing you at a live show very soon...

Mew