mewithoutYou's "[A-->B] Life" turns 20

It may not be cherished enough, but mewithoutYou's debut record was one the most important Post-Hardcore-records of the 2000s. The band out of Philly had their own view on the genre and directly influenced LA DISPUTE, who then influenced lots of other bands and arguably became one of the genre-defining acts of the late 2000s and early 2010s. 

The thing that was so special about mewithoutYou was Aaron Weiss' charismatic "Sprechgesang", his emotional speaking voice. It was a far cry from Rap, it also wasn't something that SLINT or all their successors did back in the 90s. Maybe it sounds silly nowaydays, but back then Weiss had a lot in common with BLACK FLAG's Henry Rollins or KISS IT GOODBYE's Tim Singer. He was in his own world, when he was fighting his self through his mumbling monologues. It was raw, it was stirred, it was overflowing, it was out of control. He set the down for the whole unpredictable, dramatic and either parts fragile and fucked-up tone of the record. His imaginative lyrics fit tight and beared many memorable lines.

But this wouldn't be a classic without the music packing it up. In terms of style, this was pretty much all over the place in 2002, not giving any fucks. The backbone was something like the groovy, noisy Post-Hardcore of the 90s, I'm especially thinking DRIVE LIKE JEHU. They combined these elements with the beauty and the artistic approach of Post-Rock, the tattered sensitivity of Emo, bits of Southern-Rock and even some Psychedelic-Rock. On top of that you'll find some turntablism every now and then. Yeah, this was definitely a product of the wild, and oh-so-creative 2000s! Despite all the exuberant creativity, mewithoutYou had their vision and created one hell of a coherent album. If you don't know this record and have three sparse minutes, go check out the awesome "Gentleman", as it sums up the essence of this record. "Silencer" is another standout, this time with a more Post-Rock-vibe to it.

"[A-->B] Life" remained my favourite record of mewithoutYou (did I ever mentioned that I hate typing their band name?), though I gotta admit that I only know the two, hyped-to-death successors. There, they left their raw and aggressive HC/Punk nature behind in favor of a more arty, expansive approach. Their fans loved it, but personally I was done with them from there on. However, they're still on my neverending "I'll have to give this record another chance"-list...