In music, as is the case with everything else, it’s easy to be a follower. To innovate is to take a chance, and there’s never any guarantee of success. For this reason, we see one band every now and then do something completely different with their craft, and then an army of imitators rush in to ride the coattails of their success; look no further than the original post-hardcore bands Glassjaw and At The Drive-In for an example of this. The end of this case is that true, uncompromising originality are very rare in popular music. mewithoutYou, the Philadelphia-based rock band, is an example of this independent spirit.

mewithoutYou formed in 2001 as a post-hardcore band, in a similar vein as the bands mentioned above. Lead vocalist Aaron Weiss was, and is, the dominating force of the band; he is to mewithoutYou what Anthony Green is to fellow Philadelphia band Circa Survive. He’s often regarded as one of the greatest lyricists in independent music of the past decade, and I’m inclined to agree. mewithoutYou’s first full-length record, [A→B] Life, was released on Tooth & Nail Records in 2002. This album firmly established mewithoutYou’s distinctive musical traits: the spoken-word/screaming contrast that defines Weiss’ vocal delivery and the free-ranging, bass heavy instrumentals that provide the canvas on which the vocals rest. However, while there was much positive on the album, it betrays a band still learning their place. Weiss’ lyrics contain less depth and seem to represent a paradigmatic emo influence.

This would all change in 2004 with the release of their album Catch For Us The Foxes. This record saw the band move beyond the derivative post-hardcore of their debut and embrace a whole palate of new sounds. This album, however, is remembered for the passionate vocal performances of Aaron Weiss. He’s at the top of his game here, and his voice flows from an uncertain, warbling whisper to a full-on howl. His words are unforgettable as well; Weiss is strongly influenced by mystical Islam and Christianity. His words on this album reflect metaphysical and existential concerns regarding his life; Weiss, on this record, is a man in profound inner conflict. An unforgettable line from the song “Seven… Sisters” echoes this: “I threw a small stone at the reflection of my image in the water / And it altogether disappeared / I burst as it shattered through me like a bullet through a bottle / And I’m expected to believe that any of this is real?” Here, Weiss doubts his perceptions and expressly states that he doesn’t believe the world he inhabits is ‘real’, in a metaphysical sense. Throughout the whole record, the rest of the band holds down groovy, atmospheric jams that echo the words perfectly.

Their follow-up album, Brother, Sister, was released in 2006. This is my personal favorite album by this band, and certainly one of my favorite albums of all time. This record sees the band broadening their sonic selections – we hear brass, harp, and melodica, for example. The paradigm within the band is much the same as it was on their previous record: it’s still clear that Weiss is the focus. His lyrics here, however, are less focused on metaphysical questions; he seems more interested in dissecting the way that his relationships have defined his soul as a religious person, and a human being. Look no further for evidence of this than the last verse of the closing track on the album, “In A Sweater Poorly Knit”: “If I’m a crown without a king, if I’m a broken open seed / If I come without a thing than I come with all I need / No boat out in the blue, no place to rest your head / The trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead”. The eloquence and beauty with which Weiss presents his lyrics on this album is unparalleled in modern popular music.

mewithoutYou released It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright in 2009; it is their most recent album. While there was certainly a big stylistic departure from Catch For Us The Foxes to Brother, Sister, this record is a huge departure from the prototypical mewithoutYou sound they developed on their first three records. Here, the band embraces folk music and the religious teachings of the Sufi saint Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, who comes from their native Philadelphia. Weiss’ trademark speak-sing and scream combination is almost totally gone here (the only time it pops back up is in the track “Bullet To Binary Part. II”) and replaced by a more standard melodic delivery. The lyrics are adaptations of the saint’s parables; one of the closing lines in the album represents the overall bent and style of the words: “If your old man did you wrong / Well maybe his old man did him wrong / If you care to sing forgiveness songs / Come down and join our band / And we’ll cut you like a sword / And sing forgiveness songs”.

mewithoutYou still plays shows in the tri-state area regularly. However, the band members are getting older and have still been unable to find any commercial success. Therefore, it seems as though the band’s future is in question. Will they release another record? Only the band knows. No matter the fate of the band, however, they have profoundly influenced the lives of their dedicated fans and will be remembered for their uncompromising songcraft and emotional live performances. Salaam.