A TRIUMPH FOR MAN

"A Triumph for Man" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish Pop/ Rock act Mew. The album contains fourteen tracks and a total playing time of 47 minutes. I learned about Mew by reading reviews of their albums in Danish music magazines and by listening to the odd song played on the radio. I remember I wasn´t very interested back in 1997 when this album came out so it´s only recently I´ve given it a chance.

The music on the album is a kind of alternative pop/rock that if you know Mew is unmistakably their own. Lead vocalist Jonas Bjerre has a very distinct high pitched vocal style that instantly gives away the fact that your listening to Mew. Compared to the later albums by the band, which are the main reason why I´m interested in Mew, "A Triumph for Man" is a much simpler, more imature and not as ambitious album. Most of the album actually comes off as a very commercial sounding pop/ rock album albeit on the alternative side. I enjoyed the album but didn´t find anything too intriguing. On a sidenote it should be mentioned that the song "She Came Home for Christmas" was re-arranged and re-recorded for Mew´s international breakthrough "Frengers (2003)" and it´s definitely one of the highlights on "A Triumph for Man".

The production is allright but pretty standard.

"A Triumph for Man" isn´t an album that makes my blood boil and it´s doubtful that I´ll listen to it much in the future, but it does serve as a historical document to how Mew started their career and while the material on the album is pretty standard to these ears I do think a 2.5 - 3 star rating is deserved.