June 2002 brought the arrival of one of the more unique bands of the new century. Tooth & Nail signed mewithoutYou undoubtedly knowing that this was not a band that would appeal to the masses. Rather, a small, but dedicated audience had to have been what was expected. mewithoutYou could be best described as a poetic post-hardcore band. What made them unique? Aaron Weiss' vocals were urgent and in your face, but he wasn't singing. Rarely did Weiss make an attempt at singing. Musically, the songs of their debut, [A-->B] Life, sounded like coffee shop material, only much more aggressive. But Weiss knocked it out of the park with his angst-ridden screams that made up the debut. Regardless of whether you appreciated them or not, you had to give them points for trying something different.

Catch for Us the Foxes, mewithoutYou's anticipated sophomore release, is a tad less aggressive than [A-->B] Life. This is mostly due to a less urgent vocal approach by Weiss. The screams, the angst, and the urgency is still there, but in smaller doses than on their debut. In fact, things are slowed to an almost halt on the album's closing track, Son of a Widow, which is probably the closest to singing Weiss has gotten yet.

Fans of their debut will find much to like about this new release. Save for the aforementioned changes, the core base of mewithoutYou remains the same. Detractors will find the same obnoxious noise to drive them crazy as they did on [A-->B] Life. Honestly, it's hard to be on the fence when it comes to this band. Either you love them or you hate them. Plain and simple. Weiss' vocals can either be a hardcore fan's dream come true or just downright annoying.

Still, this is an interesting release to say the least. Fans will rejoice as mewithoutYou continues their career in grand fashion. Those whom found their debut to be ear splitting would do well to avoid Catch for Us the Foxes. But, as said, you have to respect a band for trying something different. And mewithoutYou most certainly does.

- Review date: 10/04/04, written by Josh Taylor