And The Glass Handed Kites
| And the Glass Handed Kites | ||||
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| Studio album by Mew | ||||
| Released | 19 September 2005 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:59 | |||
| Label | Sony BMG | |||
| Producer | Michael Beinhorn | |||
| Mew chronology | ||||
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| Singles from And the Glass Handed Kites | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Drowned in Sound | (9/10) |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.4/10) |
| PopMatters | (7/10) |
| GAFFA | |
And the Glass Handed Kites is the fourth studio album by Danish band Mew released in the United Kingdom and 25 July 2006 in the United States on Sony BMG.
And the Glass Handed Kites was composed as a single continuous suite. Critics have likened the album to one long song due to the tracks' unnoticed transitions.
And the Glass Handed Kites' sound has been compared to Sigur Rós, Dinosaur Jr., Ride, a concept album and progressive rock.
And the Glass Handed Kites peaked at number 2 on Denmark's Tracklisten. Four singles were released for the album: "Apocalypso", "Special", "Why Are You Looking Grave?" and "The Zookeeper's Boy". Despite originally not having been released as a single, the track "The Zookeeper's Boy" gained massive popularity with the biggest radio station in Denmark, P3, reaching number 1 on the radio's Tjeklisten charts from 9 October 2005 through 6 November 2005. The track was voted "Hit of the Year" by Gaffa readers, with another Mew song ("Special") coming in second. "The Zookeeper's Boy" was later released as a single in 2006.
The Japanese bonus track, "Shiroi Kuchibiruno Izanai" is an alternate version of "White Lips Kissed" with the lyrics and title translated into Japanese.
And the Glass Handed Kites has been well received by critics. James Christopher Monger of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, writing "Fans of OK Computer-era Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, and Disintegration-era Cure will find And the Glass Handed Kites one of the most breathtaking things to come along since the dawn of the dream pop/post-punk genres themselves."Drowned in Sound's Jordan Dowling also gave And the Glass Handed Kites a positive review, writing "If you are looking for an album that you can put on for a couple minutes to fill time then you'd do better to look elsewhere, but if you want to be transported to an ethereal demi-world stuck between real life and dreams then ensure you purchase this. A masterpiece of overstated proportions, which is the greatest concept of all."Pitchfork Media's Nitsuh Abebe praised the album's epic feel and called the album "a terrific accomplishment." However, the same website criticized the album cover, naming it one of the worst album covers of 2006.
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