This last May saw the release of the fifth full length album Ten Stories from Philly's loudest poet-story tellers, mewithoutYou. It's quite a shame I just got around to picking up the album knowing that mewithoutYou has been a favorite band of mine for several years. Back when I only had a couple of songs on a mixtape and first heard that yell hollered by Arron Weiss, I knew that they were unlike any band I had ever heard then, and really, since.
This angry sound has come to be known as the band's trademark. Starting from their debut LP, [A to B] Life (2002), the music is very raw, tremendously loud and is the closest the band ever sounded to their hardcore cousins from the early aughts. The guitars were thick with distortion, octave chords were plentiful, many songs had drastic volume dynamics and they even played around with simple time signature changes. Wiess' vocals were the hallmark, setting mewithoutYou apart from other bands. It was a mix of yell, scream spoken-word that was neither singing nor talking. Combined with vivid lyrics that dealt with religion and heartbreak proved to be a very potent mix that could evoke strong emotions in any listener.
They further refined their sound with 2004's Catch for Us the Foxes, ratcheting down the noise but keeping their intensity. But it wasn't until two years later that the band struck gold with Brother, Sister. This album showed mewithoutYou at their most mature. Wiess' lyrics were more poignant and he exhibited more versatility in his voice with convincing singing. The instrumentation was also more stout with the band reaching out into different styles. The rock was still there but it was emphasized with a more talented band. Even more, it was interlaced with folk interludes about a slowly aging spider that worked suprisingly well to create a rounded sound.
In 2009 mewithoutYou surprised its fan base with It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright! which planted the band firmly in the Indie-Folk camp. With the electric guitars being overcome by a chorus of acoustic guitars, accordions, harps and many other instruments, their rock seemed to be gone. Aaron Weiss was not yelling anymore, so gone was their fire as well. It seemed as if Weiss had turned a major corner in his life because the antagonism of the past had all but vanished. If I didn't know any better I might say that he was actually happy because that is what the music reflected. The record seemed to surround itself with morality tales and fables staring animals inspired from writings by Sufi teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. I found the beauty of the album but it wasn't easily won. I still find it the most difficult one to grasp from the band's catalog even though I consider it one of their best from a creative stand point.
It's from here that I thought mewithoutYou would draw their material for their fifth LP, Ten Stories. I was partially correct, but still a surprise came with the opening of the first track, "February, 1878." Gritty distorted chords move upward building tension until the band breaks in with Weiss reclaiming his trademark yell. I was giddy, this was mewithoutYou returning to the sound that made them famous. The song later mellowed out retaining some ominous overtones but there was no denying that this was mewithoutYou.
The energy held out on "Grist for the Malady Mill" with one of the catchiest pop beats that I have heard in a while. It evokes past songs such as "A Glass Can Only Spill What it Can Contain" and even "The Dryness and the Rain" to an extent.
"East Enders Wives" is a short and melancholy song that focuses on a clean electric and acoustic guitar. It doesn't have the impact of similar songs by them, though it is still very good. My favorite line is the question, "Let's give up sacrifice next lent?"
"Cardiff Giant" provides the most fun you will ever have listening to a mewithoutYou song. Echoing guitar chords propel the music forward during the verses while arpeggiated notes are played with perfect delay over a chorus of vocals that beg to be sung along with. This song shows how much the band has learned since the last album. Keeping the folky optimism but incorporating an amount of pop to keep the sound accessible.
"Elephant in the Dock" has the most engaging story on the record. It's about an elephant being charged with a crime and being tried by a jury for it. The elephant is brought before a crowd to be sworn in. The elephant is rather obstinent because she declares, "I don't know anything about truth," and continues with the pointed statement, "but I know falsehood when I see it, and it looks like this whole world you've made." The chaplian then interviens with a prayer until the crowd rouses together, "We must hang the elephant, must hang the elephant, must hang!" The elephant has time to defent herself and choses to declare, "This mock trial can do no more to determine my lot, than can driftwood determine the ocean's waves." The fate of this creature does not seem sure because after another chorus from the crowd to hang the elephant, the elephant's last words we hear are, "I feel it stealing now, all adrift fathoms down."
This song brings the overall arc of the record in focus. It's about a circus train running through Montana. While going through a snowy mountain pass, the elephant uses her strength to break the cage and derail the train, setting the rest of the animals free. The album's songs tell the stories of the animal's fates and interactions. Some had luck while others did not.
Ten Stories plays close to the sound of the last LP. Sonically, it can be found between It's All Crazy... and Brother, Sister. There are songs that ride the folk road and others that crank the gain knob, it has a fantastic mix. Lyrically this isn't their strongest record with some songs being better than others but the standard set by mewhithoutYou has always been high. I applaud the band for striving to keep consistent themes late in their career, this one completely being a concept album. In the age of quick singles and the scavenger mentality (pick the best, leave the rest), it's great to know that there are bands that are keeping the spirit of the album alive.
From the opening moments to the grandiose closer, "All Circles", Ten Stories is a superb addition to mewithouYou's catalog. I found it instantly accessible while the story arc will make for deeper study. My recommendation is to go as soon as possible to your nearest record store and pick this release up. While you're there, pick up some of their older albums as well. Educate yourself. Find out about one of the most creative and unique bands of the last decade.
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