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Review Summary: Rediscovery meets progression, highlighted by Chewbacca's face on the album artwork mewithoutYou have arguably spent their career as a group of below-the-radar underdogs. Their peers and former tour-mates like the currently inactive Thrice and the legendary Brand New sell out large clubs in days (if not hours, or even minutes) while mewithoutYou largely continues to dominate the bar scene across the United States and beyond. That’s not to say that mewithoutYou doesn’t have a dedicated cult fanbase, because they certainly do. Rather, mewithoutYou has climbed peak-after-peak of musical excellence in a seemingly endless battle to outdo themselves on each one of their releases and continually prove that they’re content in crafting unique releases regardless of what mainstream appeal they may lack. This has been realized yet again with the release of their sixth LP, Pale Horses. Upon first listen, it’s clear that mewithoutYou has mastered the art of their own craft and have capitalized upon aspects that not only made their old albums so special, but also ones that demonstrate senses of determination, ambition, and longevity that are seldom seen in today’s musical landscape.
The first aspect of Pale Horses that is immediately noticeable isn’t just the expansion of the band’s sound, but the rediscovery of the elements that dominated their earlier works like Brother, Sister and Catch For Us the Foxes. The band’s later works moved away from aggressive immediacy, and it’s immediately evident from the first notes of tracks like “Mexican War Streets” and “Birnam Wood” that mewithoutYou has returned with energy that hasn’t been seen in years.
Lyrically, Pale Horses is comprised of endless amounts of imagery, symbolism, and metaphorical devices. Vocalist Aaron Weiss doesn’t stray terribly far from the content that has been noticeable in prior works, and there are still plenty of references to animals throughout the whole album. Other than that, Weiss continues to paint his exploration of faith across the landscape of the album, and this LP’s approach takes a particularly modern approach to the subject. The result is a look into the frenetic, insightful mindset that inspires lyrics that can easily be taken at surface value or beyond.
The album isn’t lacking in the instrumental department either. Guitar leads are atmospheric and compliment the song structure when needed (see Pale Horse or Red Cow), but can also pack their fair share of bite when appropriate (see Watermelon Ascot). Combined with the excellent vocals and lyricism, there’s a sense of cohesiveness that flows from the first seconds of the title track to the final moments of the epic album closer.
In terms of album highlights, single “Red Cow” still stands as one of the best tracks on the record. “Rainbow Signs” is also a huge track with a subtle build that jumps into a heavily distorted climax that perfectly sends off the album with the clear message that mewithoutYou are better than ever. Production is silky smooth as well, but that has been the case with most of the band’s releases.
The two albums that preceded Pale Horses are fantastic. If they did not exist, this album could easily be seen as a natural progression in the sound that made Brother, Sister such a phenomenal album. Old and new fans of the band alike can find solace in this release, and this is certainly the manifestation of all of the bands best aspects combined into one release. Pale Horses stands as one of the best releases of 2015 thus far, and it’s certainly not one to skip over.
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Album Rating: 2.0
- put a full space between your paragraphs. it just looks better that way.
-"a group of below-the-radar underdogs" - not really. I mean compared to Thrice and Brand New, sure, but they hardly lack exposure, and are absurdly celebrated. I guess you touch on that later in the paragraph, but it's still a weird point to open with.
- "Rather, mewithoutYou has climbed peak-after-peak" - be consistent with possessive terms. earlier, you say "mewithoutYou have," so pick either/or.
- "mastered the art of their own craft " - redundant. it's also vague. you could say "mewithoutYou have mastered the art of" or "mastered their craft" or whatever. "the art of their own craft" doesn't really make sense.
-"that are seldom seen in today’s musical landscape. " - cliche, but whatever, no big deal
- "isn’t just the expansion of the band’s sound, but the rediscovery of the elements that dominated their earlier works like Brother, Sister and Catch For Us the Foxes" - so, is it a return to form, or an expansion?
- "and compliment the song structure" - should be "complement"
- there's too many vague comparisons to older albums. all in all, you don't really show much insight here, and for a 5/5 review, you gotta sell me harder than "is certainly the manifestation of all of the bands best aspects combined into one release." for example, you mention that Weiss talks more about his faith, but, like, anyone remotely familiar with mewithoutYou could've assumed that without even listening. you don't really give any examples of where this is/isn't effective, and it doesn't seem like you digested it enough to say anything that would catch the interest of someone who wasn't already an avid fan.
-"In terms of album highlights, single “Red Cow” still stands as one of the best tracks on the record. " why??? what does it even sound like? you barely describe the sound at all, aside from the instrumentation being atmospheric at times. I guess if I'd already heard Brother, Sister and Foxes I'd have a vague idea, but you have to assume your readers don't know much about what to expect, and try to sell them on the album.
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not a bad review, but you could have said more, I think
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
just ordered my ticket to see these guys in july ^.^
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks for the feedback, Johnny. I write for another music website as well, and I post my reviews here for exactly that reason. Always looking to improve my writing however I can.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
where is the stream?
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Ninjask, it's on Noisey
Here's a link: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/mewithoutyou-pale-horses-album-stream
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I saw them last month and they were fantastic
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I saw them a couple years back and they ruled. They're playing in my hometown in a couple of weeks but it's six hours away and it's a 21+ show (I don't turn 21 for another 6 months, bummer) so i'm out of luck on this cycle I guess,
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Yep saw them a few days ago and they kicked ass. The lead singer is crazy energetic and emotional.
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"Rediscovery meets progression, highlighted by Chewbacca's face on the album artwork"
No other review for this album will be able to top this summary.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
nvm found it. album sucks.
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You were only gone for like, 10 minutes.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
it doesn't take long to figure out if an album is bad or not. im still listening right now
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he's fast, hes a ninjask
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
that boy needs therapy
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surprised it took this long for a rev
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the rating is already lower than b,s? wut
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
eyy this is good
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but ur boy aint
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I guess i'm curious to see what reasons MWY fans have for disliking this album. The only real negativity i've seen towards it has been coming from people who didn't appear to like them in the first place.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
The ratings will escalate in a few days. Album is a beast. Review is good too. Have a pos 
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