Philadelphia\'s genre bending rock outfit mewithoutYou, is a true musical delight and a brisk breath of fresh air in the world of rock. As a band that refuses to fall in line as just another alternative rock band, mewithoutYou\'s fresh new sound is continually being changed and refined heading into their third album, Brother, Sister. On this gem of a record, lead singer Aaron Weiss has decided to share his singing ability with us, using less of the rhythmic talking that was used almost exclusively up until now (think Talking Heads, or even better, think spoken word). If you\'re a long time fan though, don\'t fret: the majority of the songs here are a strong mixture of the two vocal styles. Aaron\'s new found singing voice fits in with Brother, Sister\'s comparably maturated style perfectly. As the band continues to experiment with new sounds we are greeted with a few new instruments to the mix, including trombone and harp. Overall the album has a much more mellow, laid back sound than that of previous outings.
A real key point to the music of mewithoutYou are the amazing poetic lyrics of Weiss (whom I easily consider the best poet in modern popular music). Be warned, Aaron is\\\'t afraid to wear his Christian faith on his sleeve. Each song is either densely or loosely faith based, and just like in past efforts he vigorously quotes or references the bible multiple times. Don\'t worry though, this is not contemporary Christian music. Weiss weaves clever, melodious lyrics into alternative music with style and grace. The album as a whole is strung together beautifully. Each song seemingly meant to be placed next to one another. The three acoustic laden "Spider" sing-alongs, that are scattered among the record like interludes, give the album such a perfect cohesive feel that when listening to individual songs and not the record as a whole you almost feel robbed of the experience. The last song on the disc, the harp-filled "In a Sweater Poorly Knit", may be the best track on the album (if we\'re picking favorites), helping to end the album on an amazing note.
The little band few people have heard of, and even fewer have heard, has done it again by releasing yet another amazing CD, while making some of the best and most original music of our time. This album stands up well, if not surpasses, the bands brilliant early work. For those of you who are looking for something inventive, unconventional, and yet refreshingly listenable, these guys are positively worth checking out.
"Brother, Sister" is on sale September 26, 2006 from Tooth & Nail.
