JesusfreakHideout.com: Top 100 Tooth & Nail Albums of All Time

54 of 100

#54. mewithoutYou
[A-->B] Life

Release Date: June 18, 2002

People throw ideas around all the time. These ideas aren't always good ones. I'm reminded of a time on Ravenhill's first real tour, when Dane Johns - a former guitarist - had an idea to get a torch with the two words "torches together" (a title of a mewithoutYou song) tattooed on each of us. I believe Brady and I were totally down to do something crazy without a single thought. Leveler heads prevailed and Ravenhill did not get tattoos in some Nashville back alley that night. I later thought of artists that would deserve to be permanently inked on one's body and who is worthy of that. I think of all the bad tattoos I've witnessed throughout the years, but I admire their dedication. One friend that is an admirer of mewithoutYou's [A-->B] Life is Micah Dean (former A&R for Tooth & Nail, comedian). I asked him why this record was important to him, and this was his response:

Micah: At that time, I had always had a hard time explaining the things going on in my head to people, so it always felt like nobody understood. I always felt lost or something. The lyrics on that record have done the best job of saying what was going on up there, but putting it into the most beautiful poem. And then the music was like the best soundtrack behind the things in my mind I thought could never be said. The one thing I thought could never happen was happening and I felt free for the first time. It changed everything.

Josh: That's so rad! You have an [A-->B] Life tattoo, right?

Micah: I do. Had to get something.

I found that Micah wasn't the only one who connected with this record and the ones to follow in this manner. Every song on this record was packed with new musical ideas and I'd argue that not a single one is bad. They set trends that started a new style of music. Aaron Weiss' passionate delivery was subtle and violent at time. And, for some of us, he put words to the feelings and situations we didn't understand as we were going through them. This might be the coolest or the weirdest band to ever grace the roster of T&N (other than Danielson Famile), but sometimes I wish we would've followed Dane's suggestion. I look at a blank spot on my arm and picture it there. I envy Micah's tattoo. It's actually a cool tattoo and it holds so much meaning. There is power in it. This album represents the birth of a powerful band. So everyone rush out and get bad band tattoos or live in regret with me.
- Joshua Clifton of the band Ravenhill

Visit our mewithoutYou page for more information about them...