Apocalypso - Mew - Mew and the Glass Handed Kites - 2005

So I went with my lady friend to see the Girltalk show at Terminal Five last weekend. I went in totally expecting to feel like the oldest person on the planet, and was not really disappointed on that front. But the night turned out to be a lot more eventful than merely me getting drunk and feeling like a codger. (It certainly helped that my lady friend and her mid-twenties friends were ALSO on the older side of the crowd).

We're at the show, and the girls all take their group trip to the bathroom, leaving me to hit the bar. I'm standing in the middle of the long bar, trying to get the bar tender's attention. I look behind me and realize there is a girl standing uncomfortably close to me on my left. I quickly turn back around, avoiding eye contact. On top of the fact that she was really not my type (willowy blonde) my girlfriend was also going to be back from the bathroom any second and this was really not the time for me to be making small talk with some sweet young thing.

But the lady is persistant and starts making conversation with me. Starting with the ubiquitous "Where are you from?" I could smell that something was up...she clearly wanted something other than some conversation from a tall dark stranger. So after a few awkward exchanges she finally cut to the chase. "See, I'd really like to get a vodka cranberry, but I have this problem with my wristband..."

Now, as I've stated here before, I don't really have a problem with underage drinking, but I was not about to get into this situation. Buying an underage (for drinking) girl a drink at an all ages show with my girlfriend seconds from returning was all kinds of trouble I was not looking to get in. So I politely decline and wish her luck. At which point she shakes my hand and says "Indiana breeds very moral people. I commend you"...

Now was she a Jump Street cop? Or just the most self possessed 19 year old ever? I have no clue...but it was definitely an odd begining to an even more odd night.

To be continued...

Oh, and this is Mew doing it's usual Scandanavian arena rock with indie rock charm bit. Totally fun, if not life changing.

Am I Wry, No? - Mew - Frengers (Not Quite Friends, Not Quite Strangers) - 2003

I realize that I won't be the first person to state this, but there is simply no way to convey with words how awesome this song is.

As usual when discussing awesomeness I will resort to bullet points
* The drumming. Apparently what they did was take their drummer into a room, pumped him full of PCP and then told him that the snare drum knocked up his sister and didn't call her back. The word ferocious would not do justice to the drumming on this song.
* Second only to the drumming in aggressiveness is the staccato, stabbing, crisply distorted rhythm guitar. I once heard a mix of this song that had neither the drumming nor the guitar...what was left was a maudlin, dragging ballad. But include these two crucial pieces and have a visceral, double-headed attack on your ears.
* The soaring arena rock vocals would be too effeminate in any other context, but surrounded by the perfect instrumentation these Danish kids manage to sound like the bizarre love child of Iron Maiden and Cheap Trick.
* The "Diamond Ring" outtro manages to successfully downshift the song from it's simply un-toppable main section without losing the grove. The lilting little piano melody peaks out from the guitars and suddenly subdued drumming to softly bring the song in for a landing.

Seriously, if you are looking for a way to successfully run that last mile on the treadmill, to get ready to go out for a late night party, or to drive 110 miles an hour down a gravel road, this is the perfect soundtrack.