And the Glass Handed Kites

Last updated

And the Glass Handed Kites
And the Glass Handed Kites Album Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Mew
Released19 September 2005
Recorded2004–2005
Studio
Genre Alternative rock
Length53:59
Label Sony BMG
Producer Michael Beinhorn
Mew chronology
Frengers
(2003)		And the Glass Handed Kites
(2005)		 No More Stories...
(2009)
Singles from And the Glass Handed Kites
  1. "Apocalypso"
    Released: 18 July 2005
  2. "Special"
    Released: 19 September 2005
  3. "Why Are You Looking Grave?"
    Released: 6 February 2006
  4. "The Zookeeper's Boy"
    Released: 17 April 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Drowned in Sound 9/10
Entertainment Weekly B [2]
GAFFA Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
IGN 7.5/10 [4]
Pitchfork 8.4/10
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

And the Glass Handed Kites is the fourth studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 19 September 2005, and in the United States on 25 July 2006. [6]

Contents

And the Glass Handed Kites was composed as a single continuous suite. Critics have likened the album to one long song due to the tracks' unnoticed transitions.

The album has won several music prizes in Denmark, including four Danish Music Awards. [7] The album also helped Mew win awards outside of Denmark, with the band winning the 2005 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Danish Act.

The Japanese bonus track, "Shiroi Kuchibiruno Izanai" is an alternate version of "White Lips Kissed" with the lyrics and title translated into Japanese.

Critical reception

And the Glass Handed Kites has been well received by critics. James Christopher Monger of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, writing "Fans of OK Computer -era Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, and Disintegration -era Cure will find And the Glass Handed Kites one of the most breathtaking things to come along since the dawn of the dream pop/post-punk genres themselves." [1]

Pitchfork reviewer Nitsuh Abebe praised the album's epic feel and called the album "a terrific accomplishment". The same website also criticized the album cover, naming it one of the worst album covers of 2006. [8]

In a more mixed review, Conrad Amenta of Cokemachineglow.com wrote "The real shame is that on this album... the songs become secondary to the gesture. They are denied a sense of finality or, in And the Glass Handed Kite's case, are sometimes deprived of an ending altogether." Amenta concluded: "The band does have the musical ability, their songs are reasonably well constructed, and the melodies are there. It’s only the ridiculous costume of importance they wear so self-consciously that’ll keep them from ever joining the party." [9]

Gaffa named And the Glass Handed Kites the best Danish album of 2005. [10]

Commercial performance

And the Glass Handed Kites peaked at number 2 on Denmark's Tracklisten. Four singles were released for the album: "Apocalypso", "Special", "Why Are You Looking Grave?" and "The Zookeeper's Boy". Despite originally not having been released as a single, the track "The Zookeeper's Boy" gained massive popularity with the biggest radio station in Denmark, P3, reaching number 1 on the radio's Tjeklisten charts from 9 October 2005 through 6 November 2005. [11] [12] The track was voted "Hit of the Year" by Gaffa readers, with another Mew song ("Special") coming in second. [13] "The Zookeeper's Boy" was later released as a single in 2006. [14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, Johan Wohlert, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen.

And the Glass Handed Kites track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Circuitry of the Wolf"2:45
2."Chinaberry Tree"3:33
3."Why Are You Looking Grave?" (features vocals by J Mascis)3:50
4."Fox Cub"1:15
5."Apocalypso"4:46
6."Special"3:12
7."The Zookeeper's Boy"4:43
8."A Dark Design"3:29
9."Saviours of Jazz Ballet" (song ends at 2:05, followed by instrumental track "Fear Me, December")3:18
10."An Envoy to the Open Fields" (features vocals by J Mascis)3:40
11."Small Ambulance"1:05
12."The Seething Rain Weeps for You" (song ends at 3:12, followed by instrumental track "Uda Pruda")4:18
13."White Lips Kissed"6:45
14."Louise Louisa"7:20
Total length:53:59
Bonus tracks on Japanese release
No.TitleLength
15."Forever and Ever"4:20
16."Shiroi Kuchibiruno Izanai" ("White Lips Kissed" with Japanese lyrics)5:34
Total length:63:53

Personnel

Mew

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for And the Glass Handed Kites
Chart (2005–2006)Peak
position
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [15] 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [16] 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [17] 4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [18] 36

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mew (band)</span> Danish band

Mew is a Danish alternative rock band made up of Jonas Bjerre, Johan Wohlert (bass) and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen (drums). Wohlert left the band in 2006 before the birth of his first child, but made a return in 2013 while the band were in the studio, before making his first live appearances since his departure in 2014. Guitarist Bo Madsen left the band in June 2015. This was confirmed in a statement on the band's official website on 1 July of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Bjerre</span> Musical artist

Jonas Bjerre Terkelsbøl is a Danish musician and visual artist from Copenhagen, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Mew. Bjerre creates animated videos for Mew's live shows. He has an uncommon vocal range, above the average pitch, which has helped contribute to Mew's unique sound, and earned him a Danish Music Award for Danish Male Singer in 2006.

<i>Frengers</i> 2003 studio album by Mew

Frengers, alternatively titled as Frengers: Not Quite Friends, But Not Quite Strangers, is the third studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 7 April 2003. The title is a portmanteau of the words "friend" and "stranger". A frenger is a person who is "not quite a friend but not quite a stranger" according to the album's accompanying booklet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Christensen</span> Danish singer-songwriter and musician

Tim Christensen is a Danish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Danish alternative rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and as a solo artist. Since 2014, he has primarily focused on Dizzy Mizz Lizzy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Foundation</span> Musical group

Blue Foundation is a Danish band. Their cinematic dream pop, shoegaze and electronics inspired compositions are known for being featured in films such as Twilight, Miami Vice and on TV shows including CSI: Miami and The Vampire Diaries.

<i>Half the World Is Watching Me</i> 2000 studio album by Mew

Half the World Is Watching Me is the second album by Danish alternative rock band Mew, released on their own record label Evil Office in 2000. The album was originally printed in about only 5,000 copies, but has been reissued twice for wider distribution. The reissued version released 4 September 2007 includes a nine-track bonus disc. The original release and the 2007 reissue include a hidden track, "Ending". The final 11 seconds of "Ending" are in fact the first 11 seconds at the start of "Am I Wry? No" before the drums kick in.

<i>A Triumph for Man</i> 1997 studio album by Mew

A Triumph for Man is the first studio album by Danish band Mew, released in April 1997 by the Danish record label Exlibris Musik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trentemøller</span> Danish electronic musician

Anders Trentemøller is a Danish indie/electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magtens Korridorer</span>

Magtens Korridorer is a band from Denmark which was started in 1995 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The band consists of Johan Olsen (vocals), Rasmus Kern, Niklas Schneidermann (guitar), Terkel Møhl (bass) and Anders Ramhede (drums). The band's work is described as a mixture of rock and poetic post-punk.

<i>No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims</i> 1989 studio album by D-A-D

No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims is the third studio album by Danish rock band D-A-D. The album was released on 3 March 1989 in Denmark by Medley Records and worldwide on 8 September 1989 by Warner Bros. The band was still called Disneyland After Dark on the original Danish release but changed their name to D-A-D for the international release to avoid a lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company. For the international version tracks 1, 3, 4 & 7 were remixed by Chris Lord-Alge at Image Recording in Los Angeles.

<i>Riskin It All</i> 1991 studio album by D-A-D

Riskin' It All is the fourth studio album by Danish rock band D-A-D. It was released on 10 October 1991 in Denmark by Medley Records and internationally in early 1992 by Warner Bros. The international edition includes a new rendition of the band's classic "I Won't Cut My Hair" as a bonus track.

<i>No More Stories...</i> 2009 studio album by Mew

No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry They Washed Away // No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away, often shortened down to No More Stories..., is the fifth studio album by the Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released in Scandinavia on 17 August, the United Kingdom on 24 August, the United States on 25 August, and Japan on 26 August 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dúné</span> Danish rock band

Dúné [Dew-nay] were a Danish rock band from Skive. At their split-up in 2018 the band consisted of Mattias Kolstrup, Piotrek Wasilewski, and Ole Bjórn. Their style was comparable to British and American electronic rock and resembles elements of 1980s pop music and 1970s post-punk blend with a distinct and modern Scandinavian touch. The band was best known for their entertaining and energetic live performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burhan G</span> Danish singer

Burhan Genç Koç, known as Burhan G, is a Danish R&B and pop singer, songwriter and producer. He has released three albums including Burhan G in 2010 and Din for evigt, both certified platinum in Denmark. Hit singles include the five number one hits "Mest ondt" featuring Medina, "Tættere på himlen" featuring Nik & Jay, "Din for evigt", "Kalder mig hjem" and "Karma" featuring L.O.C.

<i>Escapism</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Fallulah

Escapism is the second studio album by the Danish recording artist Fallulah, released on 4 February 2013 by Sony Music. It was released three years after her platinum selling first album, The Black Cat Neighborhood (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hymns from Nineveh</span> Danish pop folk musical project

Hymns from Nineveh is a pop folk musical project of Danish singer and guitarist Jonas Petersen established in 2007 and signed to Warner Music Denmark.

Ukendt Kunstner is a Danish hip hop group from Copenhagen, founded in 2012 by rapper Hans Philip, producer Jens Ole Wowk McCoy, alongside singers Rollo and King. They were signed to the label Sony Music Denmark.

<i>+ –</i> 2015 studio album by Mew

+ − is the sixth studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 21 April 2015. The album was promoted by the singles "Satellites" and "Water Slides". It was Mew's first studio album in five-and-a-half years, following their 2009 record No More Stories....

The Storm is a former Danish rock band formed in 2006 by Pernille Rosendahl and Johan Wohlert which are to date the only permanent members of the band.

<i>Visuals</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Mew

Visuals is the seventh studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 28 April 2017. First single "85 Videos" was released together with a music video on 16 February. It is the first Mew album not to feature guitarist Bo Madsen, who left the band after their previous album, + -, was released in 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 Monger, James. And the Glass Handed Kites. AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Cruz, Gilbert (21 July 2006). "And the Glass Handed Kites". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Knudsen, Jesper Nykjær. "Mew: And The Glass Handed Kites". GAFFA . Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Grischow, Chad (2 August 2006). "Mew – And the Glass Handed Kites". IGN . Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  5. ↑ Bernard, David (20 October 2005). "Mew: And the Glass Handed Kites". PopMatters . Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Mew – And The Glass Handed Kites: Mew: Amazon.co.uk. Amazon.com. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  7. ↑ Torp, Nicolai. Danish Music Awards 2006 – og vinderne blev.... Soundvenue. 11 March 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  8. ↑ Schreiber, Ryan. Top 25 Worst Album Covers of 2006 Archived 6 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine . Pitchfork Media. 14 December 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  9. ↑ Amenta, Conrad. Mew: And the Glass Handed Kites Archived 2 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine . Cokemachineglow.com. 2 February 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  10. ↑ Svidt, Ole. GAFFA kårer årets album 2005. Gaffa. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  11. ↑ P3 – Tjelisten 9/10 2005. P3. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  12. ↑ P3 – Tjelisten 6/11 2005. P3. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  13. ↑ Tuxen, Henrik. GAFFA-Prisen 2005: Mew og Coldplay topscorere. Gaffa. 4 January 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  14. ↑ MEW – THE ZOOKEEPER'S BOY (SONG) . danishcharts.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Mew – And the Glass Handed Kites". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "Mew: And the Glass Handed Kites" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Mew – And the Glass Handed Kites". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Mew – And the Glass Handed Kites". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.