mewithoutYou: beyond the cutting edge

by Paul Bowers

The first time I heard mewithoutYou’s album “Catch for Us the Foxes,” my response was one of confusion and bewilderment. This band is to rock what John Coltrane is to jazz.

To call mewithoutYou avant-garde would be an understatement; they tend to ignore all the rules of conventional songwriting. Borrowing ideas from no one, they create a sound that defies genre boundaries.

First of all, the singer doesn’t sing. He speaks, he hollers, he moans, and he wails. Not once on the entire album does he sing, though. Some would say that this shows a lack of talent, but the atonal vocals create an edgy, brooding effect. Love it or hate it, it sets the band apart from the pack.

Another important part of mewithoutYou’s unique formula is the progression of each song. Rather than plowing through entire songs with unchanging intensity (as is often the case with lesser rock groups), they gradually build up energy from a calm beginning to a frenetic chorus, often ending with a hauntingly quiet final riff. The result is spine-tingling, emotionally charged music.

The instrumental aspect of mewithoutYou’s style is generally simple and uncluttered, with repetitive chords and a stripped-down sound. This is especially evident in songs like “January 1979,” in which the incessant, straightforward rhythm guitar propels the song with locomotive power.

In other songs, such as “The Soviet,” the driving force is elegant, melodic guitar picking. Again, nothing complicated, but the mood it creates is dark and pensive.

Amplifier feedback is also used for instrumental purposes, creating eerie interludes and subtle background noises. In the hard-hitting song “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!” a prolonged feedback squawk and an uncomplicated drum beat serve as an introduction. It’s nothing major, but it’s a distinguishing touch.

All in all, the CD sounds like the result of some schizophrenic, deranged street preachers who broke into a recording studio and did whatever they felt like doing. Fans of college radio will probably appreciate this.

Despite some innovation in the song composition department, the focus of mewithoutYou’s music is not the music itself. While the instrumentation is thrilling and energetic, the lyrics provide real depth. Lush imagery and thought-provoking prose abound through line after line of free verse, and the CD booklet could be sold separately as a collection of poetry.

Normally, when bands wax poetic, they write about suicide, drugs, and general depravity. This is another area in which mewithoutYou goes against the grain. They promote a Christian message that is seldom heard by the mosh pit crowd. In “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!” the singer reflects on his redemption through Christ after an unhappy relationship, saying, “Like a needle she leads me (Well, I follow like thread) / But you untied me—Didn’t you untie me, Lord?”

In the song “Seven Sisters,” the chorus goes, “Come quick, You light that knows no evening—Come, alone to the alone!” It’s a pleading, honest cry for God’s help. In the cathartic “Four Word Letter (Pt. Two),” an allusion is made to an old gospel song with the words “Oh, pretenders, let’s go down / Won’t you come on down to the river to pray?” It sounds nothing like the original, but the call to salvation remains unchanged.

Granted, some of the lyrics are too bizarre to decipher without a Ph.D. in Weird Metaphor Analysis, such as “I was dead, then alive / She was like wine turned to water, and then turned back to wine.” Eat your heart out, English teachers. Cryptic lyrics only add to the beauty of the album, and even the most intelligent of listeners will find themselves challenged.

So, if you’re looking for some music that’s got a good beat and that’s easy to dance to, go buy the new Ashlee Simpson CD. But if you’re looking for something that will make your mind reel, check out mewithoutYou’s “Catch for Us the Foxes.”