Catch for Us the Foxes
Posted August 27, 2008
By thirdsaint,
Flashback to roughly one year ago. I was recommended to check out this beautiful, artistic Christian band called mewithoutYou. Alright, sounds interesting. The reviews I had read from a few trusted sites made it sound promising. I check out a track. Music sounds beautiful, guitars and piano are a nice touch and the atmosphere is phenominal. I'm anticipating the vocals because that usually makes it or breaks it for me and when they finally come in... I can't stand it! What is this mess? The guy isn't screaming but he's talking out the lyrics, which are so deep I don't know what they mean! Then the chorus comes in and he switches to yelling... ugh... it must end...
Over the course of the past year I'd wait a few months then give them another try. I'm not sure if it's because I want to like them or the music outside of the vocals sounded so promising. I managed to complete a few tracks but still couldn't handle it. Then came about a month ago when they came up in a conversation and I had forgotten about them. So, sure enough, I decided to give them another try. I braced myself for the vocals and... I could tolerate it now? It still wasn't entirely sticking but hey! I could tolerate it! I found this gem online for a cheap price and anxiously awaited it's arrival. Boy, am I glad I stuck with it because it's one of the most beautiful and original pieces of music I have ever heard.
What's it sound like? Uh, well, that's a bit difficult. Aaron Weiss, the lead vocalist and writer, is the best lyricist and poet of our time. Yeah, there are Christian themes but he oh so cleverly drops the references in amidst real life stories. He's so deep with his ideas it may very well blow your mind... or at least make you cry. The music frequently has heavy guitar riffs, and addictive ones at that, along with phenominal bass lines ('Leaf' and 'Seven Sisters' come to mind) to craft each song. The only downside to those vocals, even if you do grow to like them, is it tends to sound the same across each song even though his pacing is different and the music entirely is. That's just because that vocal style is near impossible to have variety across 12 tracks. Aaron does have a great singing voice that he uses in the somber album closer, 'Son of a Widow'. It perfectly fits the mood of the music. And while this isn't a concept album, it does seem to have a common theme in a few of the songs dealing with the album title and 'foxes in the vinyard'.
If you can get past the vocals you have a very rewarding and challenging experience ahead of you. I finally did to where they don't grate on my nerves and I couldn't be happier. Keep giving them a try and don't give up on them. Hopefully it clicks and it's almost like a whole new world of music is opened to you. It's a beautiful one.
Gems of this album are: 'January 1979', 'Torches Together', 'Leaf', 'Paper Hanger'
Overall - 9.3/10 View All Music And Book Reviews By thirdsaint | View thirdsaint's Profile
|
