Do the Mew

Mew. If there's any justice left in the world of popular music, you'll be hearing that name in terms of top 40 rock radio and nationwide stadium tours. A big success in Europe since 2003, the Danish band finally brought their huge, spacey, melodic prog-rock to the United States in 2006 with their fourth album, And The Glass Handed Kites, which, despite Pitchfork liking it, is really quite excellent. Now, perhaps as a sign of faith in future U.S. sales, Sony will release their original 2003 breakthrough Frengers in the United States on Jan. 23. So, what should you expect?\nA casual survey of names dropped by other reviewers presents a whole host of competing musical references: Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Ros, The Cure, The Delgados, Stars, Dinosaur Jr… Instead, let's keep things simple: Mew sounds like a cross between Muse and Air. Like the British band Muse, they rock out with big power chords, booming percussion and an embrace of melodrama (although, to their credit, unlike Muse, they keep the lyrical matter simple and generally free of eye-rolling silliness). Like the French electronica duo Air, Jonas Bjerre sings with a tenor (rather than an emo whine or a metal monster-growl, etc.) and the band isn't afraid to lighten things up and let sweet, delicate pop melodies take hold. \nFrom song to song, Frengers is a calculation of ratios between these two tendencies. For example, in "Am I Wry? No," mighty surges of drums and bass begin the song, but are replaced by a tender combination of Bjerre's voice and a ringing guitar progression (and violin strings, and piano); while in "157," bursts from the rhythm section (with soaring choruses) punctuate vocals harmonized with chilly ambient washes. "Snow Brigade" gallops through a more traditional loud-quiet-loud model, while "Eight Flew Over, One Was Destroyed," "She Came Home For Christmas" and "She Spider" likewise play off this tension to varying degrees. On the lighter side are the stirring anthems "Behind The Drapes" and "Comforting Sounds," and two beautiful duets: more conventionally rocking "Her Voice Is Beyond Her Years" (with Stina Nordenstam), and quiet piano/guitar piece "Symmetry" (with Becky Jarrett).\nFrengers' only weakness is it gets a little repetitive, but when an album is this good (and only 10 tracks long), you can forgive Mew. And besides, if you want more variety, there's And The Glass Handed Kites.