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Given the turtleneck shirts, skinny ties and semi-matching suits of their publicity photos, one might justifiably assume that the members of Me Without You would fashion their sound around the upbeat, melodic music of first-wave British Invasion artists like the Beatles and the Kinks.  While it's true that virtually any rock or pop outfit formed during the last 40 years has been influenced to some degree by the aforementioned founding fathers, it becomes obvious from first listen that the Philadelphia five-piece has constructed their particular sound around a decidedly harder-edged blueprint.

Using the gruff indie punk stylings of groups such as Frodus and At the Drive-In as a starting point, the MWY collective barrels out of the starting gate with a near-relentless barrage of ragged guitars, thundering drums and manic half-spoken, half-screamed vocals.  The alternating, two-note guitar riff that fuels the frenetic "Nice and Blue" flits like a hyperactive bumblebee, while the likewise vigorous "Silencer" sounds as if its words are being delivered at a dead sprint just before passing out.  The resplendent recklessness of "The Ghost" harnesses the defiantly uninhibited spirit of late '60s proto-punk purveyors such as the Stooges and the MC5.  And the heavy-metal-meets-garage-band temperament of "We Know Who Our Enemies Are" makes the lion's share of present-day nu-metal and hard music acts sound almost subdued by comparison.

As might be expected, much of the project's written portion falls in line with its ardent instrumental section.  "We Know Who Our Enemies Are" finds vocalist Aaron Weiss "all fevered and blistered, with nothing at stake," while the underlying sentiment of songs like "Gentlemen" (And I call/ To hear the sound of your voice/ And you'd better be alone) lands at a point somewhere between heartrending and truly disturbing.  Conversely, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Weiss and his cohorts demonstrate an equally imposing skill with more subtle lyrical forms, instilling songs like "Silencer" (She put on happiness like a loose dress/ Over a pain I'll never know) and "The Ghost" (I feel the breath on my neck as it blows by/ The warmth passed me like her love did) with a strikingly beautiful, near-poetic romantic imagery.

The album sometimes opts for volume over substance, and its groove occasionally grinds to a near halt, particularly towards the end of the record.  But, even at its most lumbering, the project still retains an underlying sense of both melancholy and menace.  While a good portion of those weaned on the semi-polished pop inclinations and cheeky self-deprecation of Blink 182 and the Offspring are likely to balk at the MWY cooperative's ever-changing time signatures and Weiss' near-unhinged delivery, the Philadelphia quintet compensates with a refreshingly raw musical sensibility and some of the most innovative and well-read lyrics to grace any album, rock or otherwise.  If [A-->B] Life hardly seems destined for widespread popular acclaim, those who do take a shine to it will rightly feel that they have stumbled upon something very original indeed.

Bert Gangl 7/14/2002

In addition to the fact that these guys are from Philly, mewithoutYou has a lot going for them.  Most of the bands in the punk and hardcore worlds are beginning to sound like products of the same factory, with each band indistinguishable from the rest.  But mewithoutYou is a refreshing change from all of that.

This disc (pronounce "A to B Life") is a study in contrasts.  The band explores both internal and external tensions, while comparing imperfect human love with God's perfect love.  And while most hardcore lyrics tend to be somewhat vapid, mewithoutYou is quite poetic and profound. 

From the opening screams of "Let us Die," to the final quietly spoken words,  "Jesus, have mercy on us," the band takes a winding journey through the many changes and transformations we go through in life.

With the Weiss brothers, Aaron and Michael, at the core of the band, this five-piece rocks with emotion, sans the pre-fab assembly line manufacturing of John Q. Mainstream's School of Hardcore and Punk.  This is music that takes chances and doesn't come out of a mold.

Ken Mueller 7/24/02 

This wasn't too encouraging. Mewithoutyou's press sheet began with the phrase "Rock isn't dangerous any more," implying that the disc I was about to slip into the stereo was capable of redeeming rock n' roll from "faux-angst and lip gloss."  It's a pretty gutsy assumption, and one that I'd normally smirk at, before tossing the CD onto the "better luck next time" pile. But Mewithoutyou had an ace up their sleeve. I caught their show at Cornerstone 2002, and, well, call me a believer. 

There's an intensity on this disc that owes nothing to punk or hardcore conventions, but nevertheless, tangibly captures everything that the spirit of punk and hardcore seeks to achieve. It's in the spoken word/screaming vocals of Aaron Weiss, who spits out each word like it might just be his last. It's in the confessional lyrics, which range from struggles with lust to boldly confronting God; when he screams "I try but I can't remember the color of your eyes/Just the shape of your dress", it's almost embarrassing to listen to. It's in the song dynamics; the interlocking, careening guitars and sudden moodshifts become an assault, a shot of adrenaline.

This is a band unafraid to experiment. Granted, we're not talking John Cage here, but still, the spirit's there. Angst-fueled 3-minute bursts suddenly fall away to reveal Middle-Eastern textures, skittering electronic beats, graceful guitar figures, and effects (tracks 5 and 10). And then, just as suddenly, tear it back up again ("Gentlemen"). 

Amazingly, given the expressive nature of this album, it never becomes a parody of itself. Each of these songs feels convincingly, painfully convicted. One problem with so much so-called "punk rock" these days is that they try so hard to be rebellious and "punk," but it feels like nothing more than a fashion contest. On [A-->B Life], the rebellion is real. Not because they're busy shoving themselves in people's faces, but because of the music's (sometimes) frightening honesty and power. 

Some may find comparisons to At The Drive-In or ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, but I tend to think of Scaterd Few's Sin Disease (almost eerily so on "We Know Who Our Enemies Are", where I half-expect to hear Allan Aguirre's tortured wail), another album that wasn't afraid to tell it like it is against a musical backdrop of unexpected intensity. Back then, Sin Disease was considered too dangerous for "Christian Music." And in some ways, so is [A-->B] Life.

Goodbye to "faux-angst" indeed. There's nothing fake on this album at all. 

Jason Morehead 8/4/2002