Once in a great while, an album comes out that is more than simply music and words - an album that can be described as nothing less than artwork. Few bands are capable of producing such an album, and even fewer actually reach such greatness. I believe that with Catch for us the Foxes, mewithoutYou has recorded a truly special album, an album that as a whole is much greater than each of its individual parts. Let me preface the rest of this review by saying that mewithoutYou is my favorite band. I listened to their debut, A->B [Life], more than any other album in the last two years. It helped me through difficult times, and the lyrics spoke to me in a way no other album ever has. Needless to say, my expectations for this album were unbelievably high. Nothing less than near-perfection would have met my standards. Although this album has not stood the test of time, I have very little doubt that it will.
For those of you unfortunate enough not to have heard mewithoutYou, they play post-punk indie rock that has its obvious influences (Fugazi, The Smiths, etc,) but combines them in a way that is truly unique to an often stale music scene. Lead vocalist Aaron Weiss writes some of the best lyrics in music, and delivers them in a poetic scream-sing-talk delivery that forces the listener to pay attention to the words. For this band to truly make sense, it is also important to see them live. They put on one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Catch for Us the Foxes expands on A->B [Life] in several ways. One will notice that the music has a lot more room to breathe. The songs absolutely still rock, but much of the driving punk feel is gone, replaced with intricate guitar lines and expressive bass lines. Aaron even sings in a couple of songs, including the stark and moving closer "Son of a Widow." They worked with a top notch producer in Brad Wood (The Fire Theft, Smashing Pumpkins), who no doubt helped take their sound to new places. Lyrically, Weiss is no longer writing just about one girl who broke his heart. He still pours his heart out in an unbelievably honest way, but seems to be exploring his relationship with God in most of the songs. One criticism of this album I've heard is that it is not as "dangerous" as the debut, and "hides behind the production." With lyrics like "How else could I confess? When I looked down as if to pray, well I was looking down her dress" and "Didn't you untie me Lord? I haven't even thought about killing myself in almost five months," it is clear that Weiss explores his faith in a brutal honesty that, yes, could be dangerous to those closed in mind.
There is no use doing a track-by-track analysis. This is an album, and is meant to be listened to as such. I will say that the guest appearance by Scotty of the Psalters in "Four Word Letter, pt. 2" and the proclamation of "God is love and love is real" in "The Soviet" bring chills to the listener.
Catch for Us the Foxes is album of the year and then some. mewithoutYou may be gaining some "buzz" and hipster-appeal of late, but it is well deserved. They are certainly the most challenging band in the Christian market, and just maybe in the whole music scene. Buy this album now, don't wait. It just may change your perception of modern music.
4/4
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Len NashAnother dose of art rock, mewithoutYou's latest release Catch for Us the Foxes digs deeper into the artsy realms. This Brad Wood produced CD could become confusing to most who are unfamiliar with this band. For example, Aaron Weiss' tossing around of the spoken word and obscure pains of agony could never really register in some people's minds. Weiss and Company has improved upon an already tried…Opus 2005Reviewed by Jason MoreheadI suppose you could try to discuss mewithoutYou's music in your typical fashion, by looking at their background, the other bands they've been in, their influences, etc. However, I've found that a more accurate starting place isn't even with their music per se, but rather with the little ASCAP title under which they publish their songs -- "Jesus Have Mercy On Me, A Sinner." It's a cry of…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Phil NicholsmewithoutYou is one of those bands that do an amazing job at polarizing their listeners: you either love them or you hate them. In the two years since this Philadelphia rock outfit released their debut record, [A-->B] Life, adamant supporters have lauded Aaron Weiss' spoken/shouted poetry as an astounding artistic innovation, while the equally adamant dissenters have written them off as random…Similar sounding releases
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