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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
yet further from their roots, May 20, 2009
I'll try to keep this short and sweet. If you liked mewithoutYou's first album and think that the other albums have been going downhill, then you likely will not enjoy this fourth release. If, on the other hand, you think they've only been getting better and better, than this album will likely be your favorite.
Albums:
1) [A -> B] life
2) Catch for us the Foxes
3) Brother, Sister
4) It's all Crazy...
The albums are like a row of overlapping circles in which each has some common elements with the previous album, and each hints at the next. The band is to a point where album 4 doesn't overlap with album 1 whatsoever. I've heard some fans who complain that they miss 'the old mwY' others who rejoice that they're no longer 'the old mwY', and some (like me) who have enjoyed every album despite the fact that the band's sound has changed so much. There's a difficult-to-define golden thread running straight through their body of work, and if that's why you enjoyed their previous albums, then you can have confidence you'll enjoy this latest release as well.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What A Beautiful God There Must Be..., May 20, 2009
MewithoutYou like to re-invent themselves with every record they put out. For some bands, this sometimes leads to people yelling things like '"sellouts" and the ever popular, "well, they used to be cool, but now they suck". Normally, these people have no clue what they are talking about and are just following whatever 'scene' or fad is 'in', currently. Anyone who can listen to MewithoutYou and call their newest release a 'sellout record' is, in my honest and unbiased opinion, musically misguided. People who say this probably only liked MewithoutYou because Aaron 'shouted a lot'. Weiss has completely abandoned his sing-shout vocal stylings of his early years in favor of straight singing. And never before has his voice worked better with the music.
This album is by far the most focused, elegant, engaging, bizarre, accessible, emotional, epic, restrained and all-around amazing album that the humble boys of MewithoutYou have ever crafted. And that is saying a lot. It was my most anticipated album of '09, and in no way at all did it let me down. Every single song of this release bleeds so such conviction, it's at times, almost unbearable. In the most beautifully moving way possible, of course. It truly seems as if every word sang and every note played has a divine purpose behind it. That is truly hard to come by in todays' music industry plagued by un-emotive, run-of-the-mill 'artists' who sing about their simply unbearable breakups and how much they hate their government while strumming the same power chords over and over...and over. And God forbid they throw in any instrument aside from electric guitar, bass and drums. Oh, and don't forget the ever-popular piano and acoustic guitar driven 'heartfelt ballad', which is essentially the same song you have listened to the whole record, just at a slower pace.
Now, part of me doesn't want to review each song separately, but I feel that is the only way to truly get across just how good every single one of these songs are. Truthfully, there are quite a few songs I like more than others, but every single song is a wondrous journey into the heart and mind of Mr. Weiss. Riddled with vivid imagery of food and animals, almost as if most of the songs are fables and parables put to song. This is something that I believe only MewithoutYou can do without coming off as childish or semi-pretentious. Now, onto the separate songs.
The album opens with a track that could have possibly fit very well on their third album 'Brother, Sister'. 'Every Thought, A Thought Of You' isn't one of my favorite songs on the album, but it is still exceptional. The first thing long-time fans might notice is that Weiss is very simplistic lyrically in this song. But this is, in no way, a bad thing. He gets his point across incredibly well for how simplistic his words are. It also has a very catchy 'da-da-da-da-da' chorus that is really enjoyable. The outro is also insanely entertaining. 'The Fox, The Crow and The Cookie' is the song that would be best fit for a single. It is an undeniably catchy little ditty that tells a very lighthearted story about, what else, a fox and a crow. This is also the track where you really begin to notice how experimental they have become with their instrumentation. Incorporating the fiddle and (believe it or not) a tuba into the mix. The final statement of the song also reaffirms Aarons' status as my favorite lyricist of all time. "When letting all attachments go, is the only prayer we know...may it be so, may it be so."
'The Angel Of Death Came To David's Room' is a personal favorite of mine. It is a very simplistic song about our unwillingness to accept death. It builds and builds and builds until it finally reaches an epic climax of Weiss and a slew of other vocalists (one of which I believe to be Scott Krueger of The Pslaters) proclaiming "Come now David where is everybody going?". Which brings to one of my favorite things about this album. The majority of the songs actually reach an utterly satisfying and powerful climax that sums up everything the song was trying to get across. Again, a rare feat in todays music industry. 'Goodbye, I' is another song in the same vein as 'Every Thought...'. I enjoy this one quite a bit better, though. It flaunts a predictable song structure that works exceptionally well for the song. Again, reaching a very satisfying climax. This song also includes some of my favorite guitar and bass work courtesy of Michael Weiss and Greg Jehanian, respectively; AND one of my favorite lines from the album. "There's a movement in our stillness and however much we move we are bound to stand completely still...so let's all stand completely still."
'A Stick, A Carrot, A String' is far from the most interesting song musically, but it is phenomenal lyrically. Telling the story of Jesus' birth from the perspective of the barn animals, in the beginning. Then telling the story of Jesus' prayer in the garden before His crucifixion. This song easily boasts some of the best lyrics one will ever hear from MewithoutYou.
"and the snake perked up
when he heard You ask
"if you're willing that
this cup might pass
we could find our way back home
maybe start a family all our own"
"but does not the Father guide the Son?
not my will, but yours be done.
what else here to do?
what else me, but You?"
and the snake who'd held the world
a stick, a carrot and a string
was crushed beneath the foot
of your not wanting anything."
'Bullet To Binary (Pt. 2)' is the only song you will hear on this album that even has a little shouting. This is a superb song and has some of the strongest overall instrumentation on the entire CD. As Aaron croons, "We all well know, we're gonna reap what we sow", it comes across as a baffling statement of poignancy and power. 'Timothy Hay' is a VERY uplifting and playful song. In a way, I actually believe it is my favorite from the album. I think it is because of the sheer hopefulness it brings with it. It ends with with Aaron joyfully singing "What a beautiful God there must be", and he sings it with such conviction that I believe it could make the most cold-hearted of Atheists break down and weep. 'Fig With A Bellyache' is, dare I say it, the strangest song MewithoutYou has ever crafted. But it's appeal is undeniable. Aarons' rhyming schemes on this song is so brilliant that it makes up for any unbearable weirdness this song may or may not contain.
The last three songs are probably the strongest of the entire album. 'Cattail Down' is one of the most phenomenal and downright enjoyable songs I have ever heard from anyone. The acoustic guitar driven verses bleed into possibly the most epic and catchy climax of the entire album. Which is pretty much the phrase 'You're everyone else' repeated several times with with some 'ba-ba-ba's" in the background. Simply beautiful. I believe 'The King Beetle...' to be their masterpiece. Their crowning achievement as a band. Almost as if everything they have done in their entire career has led up to this. A simple story of a beetle king curious of what a burning pile of leaves is. It leads to a striking revelation of God for the beetle and he is 'utterly changed into fire' at the end. I know...it sounds ridiculous, but it is one of the most emotional songs I have ever heard, and brings me to tears on certain occasions.
They chose to end the album with 'Allah, Allah, Allah'. Never has there been a more fitting ending for an album. With all of the crazy parables, metaphors and fables being told throughout the album, they decide to end it with the statement that God is in everything we see. Every blade of grass, every cloud in the sky and in all of us. There is not a more powerful statement that could be made by anyone or anything.
"It's All Crazy...' is not only the best album of the year, so far...it is easily the best album of the past five years, and the best MewithoutYou has ever done. Everything about it is quality. Everything about it is genuine. Everything about it is strictly MewithoutYou. It may all be crazy, but this album is certainly a remedy to the craziness that it also creates. I bestow upon this album my highest honor. Only three other albums have ever gotten a five star rating from from me.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indulging in the "Opiate of the Masses" sure feels good :), June 12, 2009
I do not believe in any higher power/God but this album makes me want to, which is kind of scary and awesome at the same time. Marx said that religion is the "opiate of the masses" and this album evokes so many emotions in me that I feel I must've been drugged. "It's all false..." is a breath of fresh air and I am glad that I never discounted this band based on their religiously centered lyrics. I know too many people who refuse to listen to bands that have differing opinions than their own (especially when it deals with religion). After being introduced to this band when they released Brother Sister, I have completely fallen head over heels for their constant experimentation and innovation both lyrically and musically. Each album brings its own sound and complexity but "It's all false..." is truly mewithoutYou's crescendo. Many times bands try different sounds only to be criticized for their departure from the style that made them a hit in the first place. mewithoutYou's venture into an uplifting folk sound is nothing short of spectacular. Aaron's voice has greatly matured, and although I do miss the harsh tones of Weiss's screams on earlier albums, I cannot deny the melodic vocals he uses to convey some of mewithoutYou's wittiest lyrics. The album is playful with just enough of a somber undertone to make the song's build ups even more powerful. This can be shown in the "Beetle King..." more than any other song on the album. I can't remember the last time a song actually moved me in such a way that I had tears in my eyes...and I'm an Atheist! Just goes to show you that no matter what you believe there is an interconnected understanding of the human condition and emotional experience within us all. Thank you mewithoutYou for giving me a taste of what it must be like to whole heartedly believe in an all loving God, I can't help but indulge in the experience every time I listen to your albums.
Advice to first time listeners:
Listen to "Catch For Us The Foxes" first because it is the best blend of both their hardcore roots and their experimental sound on the last 2 albums. After that you can either go the route of listening to the hardcore stylings of, "A-->B Life", or move onto the haunting sounds of "Brother, Sister", finishing with ever hopeful "It's all false...".
I urge everyone to give this band a chance. Writing them off would be a complete and utter shame, for you would miss a musical masterpiece.
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