The bad news: the band behind this stellar album has already gone by the wayside, having disbanded immediately following its completion in 2007. The good: although Aereogramme only released a couple full-length albums during their short life span, this one exudes the maturity and completeness one would expect from seasoned veterans of the alt/experimental rock genre.
Defying categorization, MHHAWTYWNG ebbs and flows from tracks as electronic and dense as opener "Conscious Life for Coma Boy," to the folksy, acoustic "Exits" and "You're Always Welcome." Though the music is diverse, the overall mood is quite consistently melancholy. Even the most upbeat and radio-friendly tune, "Barriers," is ultimately a tale of unfulfilled promise; a prelude to the lyrical crash and burn on subsequent tracks.
The highlights for me are "Conscious Life," "Finding a Light," and the brilliantly devastating "Running Man." However, aside from the uncharacteristically dull "A Life Worth Living," there is not a weak moment to be found on this record. The production is wonderfully clean and engaging, and the emotive vocals are a perfect fit for this type of music.
Anyone fond of experimental rock that seamlessly blends elements such as electronica, hard rock and folk should check this one out right away. It is a true shame we won't be hearing more from these guys, but then again, perhaps their demise served as extra inspiration for this delightfully depressing journey.
This is not my favorite Aereogramme album. That being said it does have a few outstanding tracks such as "Barriers" "A Life Worth Living" "Trenches" and "Nightmares". It's not surprising that Aereogramme have always been a little hit and miss considering the diversity of their influences. I'm giving them an extra star because in my opinion their exceptional songs more than make up for those which fall short of the mark. It's too bad we won't be hearing anymore from these guys.
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