mewithoutYou's debut full-length is an album that challenges the listener to re-evaluate what they understand about punk rock music. Bold and edgy,
[A --> B] Life (which roughly translates to A to B Life) is an impressive album from a group who had only been together for two years prior to its release in 2002. This is a group who covers all the bases, using their musical platform to allow the public to witness their artistic vision, to make their declaration about society's woes, and to get music listeners to do something they haven't had to do in a very long time, think.
mewithoutYou has a sound that treads a cautious line between being straight-up punk, a hybrid form of hardcore, or simply garage rock, yet its avoidance of slipping into one molded style helps propel it into a category few other groups have been able to achieve, innovative post-hardcore that is fiercely intelligent while retaining a plentiful amount of attitude. The band isn't out to shroud their music in a cloak of flashy programming or dazzling production, and instead strip themselves to the bone to expose the inner workings of man in all his glory. Guitarists Michael Weiss and Christopher Kleinberg flawlessly execute passionate sonatas of sound, while Aaron Weiss' honest and accessible vocals keep the band down to Earth and focused on the task ahead of them. Working their way through 12 complex tunes,
mewithoutYou never release their grasp on your mind, flooding the cranium with vivid images and a cornucopia of unwavering ideas that motivate you to delve deeper into the music cavorting between your ears. Baring something in common with the style
At the Drive-In turned heads with in 2000,
[A --> B] Life is a heavy dose of reality for a listener to sink their teeth into, and is a mesmerizing debut from a band who only dabbles in what potential they so obviously contain.
mewithoutYou is a group to pay attention to, as this album is only a precursor to what greatness is to come. ~ Jason D. Taylor