REVIEW: MEW – NO MORE STORIES
Mew
No More Stories
(Sony)
4/5
Scandinavian arty trio return for a third album, produced by Rich Costey (Muse/Glasvegas). The singer’s voice is similar to Green Gartside’s (Scritti Politti), and the opening song, New Terrain has a ghostlike reverse vocal effect, which appears more subtly on other tracks. This is a complex record and a clever one, but it’s also very easy to like. This is mainly because the band’s passionate melodies are the focal point, working well with their busy musical arrangements. There is a prog element here and it seems to be used as a means to an end, rather than being the centrepiece of the record. No More Stories is a unique album that hints at some very strange and often dodgy influences, and yet somehow you want to stay with it (are they trying to salute ‘80s soft-rockers such as Chicago or are they taking the piss?) Some of the songs grab you straight away, and others make more sense after a few plays.
Arash Torabi
