For me there are few bands that can hit with the same emotional punch as classical music. However with the development of polyphonic synthesis even small bands or single artists can create more complex arrangements that fill the spectrum with sounds that manage to come close.

Reprise carry’s a heft, It feels like the weight of the world is on Mews shoulders and when it is contradicted by the break down into the innocent vocals from singer Jonas Bjerre the childlike naivety manages to free itself and the listener from this oppression.

Mew manages to mix the emotions of both the dreamer and the pessimist to create something that strikes a blow to me on many of their tracks. Reprise is a perfect example:

“And the glass handed kites” is a fantastic album. One I have listened to countless times but have struggled to put on my track of the week list. The reason for this is how it’s constructed, as a flowing suite of music rather than a collection of easily selectable tracks.

The internet has bred a pick and mix culture. We have the ability to house months worth of music on a device that will fit in your pocket, but this can result in an extended compilation player.

The cure for this is an album like “and the glass handed kites”. You go on a journey experiencing the highs and lows. From big bombastic stadium suffocating rock to quiet self reflective indie and back again. It manages to do this so well that you wont even notice it’s happened until an hour later when the album finishes.

So now it may be a bit hypocritical to suggest a single track, but I’ve tried to pick one that demonstrates the feel for the whole thing. It’s good to read a magazine but sometimes it’s more fulfilling to get stuck into a novel. Treat this track like the blurb or a quick thumb through and if you like what you hear, listen to the whole album, you wont be disappointed: