AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES

And the Glass Handed Kites is the finest album to ever come out of a Danish rock act. The high ambitions of MEW's complex music succeeds with this release and it shows just how skillful the (at the time) four band members are, both as musicians and composers.

The album is intended as an entire song cycle (in a similar vein of PORCUPINE TREE's The Incident) divided into fourten tracks which holds several highlights. The first seven tracks combines perfectly and creates one of the most powerful and enjoyable beginnings I have ever heard. The tempo slows down on the latter half of the album, but the quality does most certainly not as one beautiful ballad replaces the other throughout.

The dark and gloomy mood of the album is captured brilliantly from the first sound of the opening track "Curcuitry of the Wolf". It is followed up by two excellent tracks in "Chinaberry Tree" and "Why Are You Looking Grave?" which ups the tempo before "Fox Club" leads into the most popular part of the album. The way "Apocalypso", "Special" and "Zookeeper's Boy" links together creates a memorable part on a memorable album. As stand-alone tracks they work as well which explains why they have become the hit singles of Glass Handed Kites

"Dark Design" takes over and leads perfectly into the melancholic final half of the album. It is another beautiful track which is linked well together with the "Saviours of Jazz Ballet (Fear Me, December)". "Small Ambulance" functions as an intermezzo (like "Fox Club" on the first half) before the final three tracks. The second to last track is the highlight of Glass Handed Kites: "White Lips Kissed" is a seven-minute long track which is quite simply stunningly beautiful! The album is rounded off with another haunting ballad, "Louise, Louisa", which is the only track that stands on its own.

MEW have always challenged themselves, trying to create their own, ambitious style of music where nothing is left to sheer coincidences. They succeed completely with this overwhelming album which is a true masterpiece of progressive rock music.

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