Mew: The Zookeeper’s Boy
Rating: 
(Columbia/Red Ink, 2006) The Zookeeper’s Boy is an EP from Danish progressive pop group Mew, intended to introduce the band to American audiences before the domestic release of their latest album, And The Glass Handed Kites, this summer. If the EP is any indication, the album will be one of the year’s best. The Zookeeper’s Boy is excellent in its own right - all 26 minutes and 26 seconds of it. The very first seconds of “Apocalypso” establish Mew as a band to watch (or listen to), as the song bounces from dream pop to progressive rock to emo to indie rock, with harmonized guitar riffs and vocals (in the Ben Gibbard vocal range and timbre), complex rhythmic elements, heavy use of synthesizers, and a catchy melody. The song bleeds directly into the second track, “Special,” which in turn segues straight into “The Zookeeper’s Boy” with no break, and both songs are up to the task of following the excellent opener. The dynamic introductory trio is taken straight from And The Glass Handed Kites - that fact alone makes the full length worth finding. The fourth and fifth tracks are from a different release, the band’s debut album, Frengers. “Am I Wry? No,” Frenger’s opener, carries on the EP’s established quality level with dreamy vocals and strings, complicated chord progressions, melodic bass playing, and staccato snare drumming. Finishing up both Frengers and The Zookeeper’s Boy is “Comforting Sounds,” a dream pop epic that lasts almost nine minutes. Mew’s music isn’t revolutionary, but it’s interesting, catchy, lush, both complicated and immediate, and a welcome change from the American indie rock scene.
1. Apocalypso
2. Special
3. The Zookeeper’s Boy
4. Am I Wry? No
5. Comforting Sounds
– Kevin
June 14th, 2006 at 7:19 am
Sounds interesting. Do you know of a firm street date for the album?
June 14th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
It is very interesting, but unfortunately I don’t have the street date for the new album, although the EP packaging claims it will be out in July.
June 15th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Sweet!!
June 15th, 2006 at 11:04 pm
What exactly is “dream pop”?
June 19th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
(From The All Music Guide) “Dream Pop is an atmospheric subgenre of alternative rock that relies on sonic textures as much as melody. Dream pop often features breathy vocals and processed, echo-laden guitars and synthesizers. … the genre has more stylistic diversity than … slow, electronic textures. Dream pop also encompasses the post-Velvet Underground guitar rock of Galaxie 500, as well as the loud, shimmering feedback of My Bloody Valentine. It is all tied together by a reliance on sonic texture, both in terms of instruments and vocals.”