Frengers: Not Quite Friends But Not Quite Strangers

Danish indie from just before landfill indie swept away all the good stuff

This band was completely unknown to me. And too bad they are splitting up, because I LOVED this music! Very atmospheric and dreamy, but some heavier parts too. The vocals are amazing. And the complete sound of it just touched me in a way I can't really describe

Grerrible. Not quite great but not quite terrible by Mew.

Never heard of them but I loved this so much, thank you for adding it!

Yooooooo who did this? Danish band lets goo Kinda a 4 album, but comforting sounds is a straight 10 5

I had no idea what any of this was but it was really good. Mix of death cab for cutie, shoegaze, and maybe a little beach house. Comforting sounds was my fav.

Wouldn't normally stand out to me as anything other than replacement-level indie pop, except for that 2003 release date. That seems so far ahead of its time, anglo idie groups wouldn't make their way over to this sound for a solid 5-10 years, I feel like.

Never heard of these guys. A great recommendation.

god damn this was fuckin good I definitely need to check out more of Mew’s stuff because this was incredible :D 10/10

Awesome surprise to see this band on here! Fantastic shoegazey indie rock from Denmark that stays consistently beautiful throughout. Probably a really shitty comparison, but it sounds a bit like if you told the Sigur Rós guys to do a Radiohead album. "Comforting Sounds" is an all-timer.

Danish and alternative rock sounds like it doesn’t belong in the same sentence but this was great. So far the people who have added albums have done a much better job than the actual official list!

Yeah, to take a page out of the most popular review in this section -- a take that's a bit blunt, admittedly -- what we have here is a mixed bag to a certain extent. Not bad by any means overall, and singer Jonas Bjerre truly has an astonishingly high-pitched range for a male vocalist, but the overall results are maybe a little too patchy to reach the "essential" level required after 1300 albums. "Comforting Sounds" is stellar, a very moving ballad building up to an insane, fully emotional climax -- I love both versions of the song, by the way: the radio edit makes a clear impact on a first listen, but it's also nice that the longer one closing the original tracklist takes its sweet time building up said climax. Apart from that gem, the enticing and lively tones of the other banger "Snow Brigade" feel like they could have been recorded yesterday, thanks to a glossy sheen that is almost pre-hyperpop in its intents, very surprisingly. Rich Costley produces here -- the man surely has an ear for striking and effective details, which serves the song right. And "She Spider" rocks as well, even if it's in a more expected fashion by 2003 standards. Indie or alt-rock that hasn't aged a day, to put it in a nutshell. Yet the rest -- especially the more shoegazey cuts -- often sounds a little thin or unmemorable, I'd say. Good call from Mew trying to insert some surprising bridges here and there, but the latter don't necessarily bring a pivotal input saving most of those other songs from a "déjà vu" impression. That said, I heartily thank this user for making me discover this Danish act. 1001 albums podiums aside, it's nice to know about the existence of this band, and in spite of my minor gripes up there, they surely deserved to be more well-known at the time of this album's release. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 43 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 53 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 104 (including this one) --- Émile: voir ma toute dernière réponse sous le disque *Triage* au-dessus.

February 19, 2026 HL: "Am I Wry? No", "Symmetry", "She Spider", "Comforting Sounds" Alright, I admit it. I love "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. And "The Scientist" by Coldplay. And after today, "Comforting Sounds" by Mew. As much as I hate to weight a rating based on a single song, that finale probably shifts Frengers from a respectable 7/10 to an 8. Because otherwise this is an album of great melodies and shoegazy-pop atmosphere, but it does start to meander a bit before the end. Actually I'd lump in "Christmas" and "She Spider" as the moment where the album picks up again. Denmark, what else are you hiding?

The title is pretty stupid so that's a poor start. The music I found to be pretty middle of the road pop with a lot of faux-orchestral vibes and lyrically it has a bit of that Scandanavian ESL thing. I didn't hate it but thought it merely OK.

This gives me post-britpop vibes (coldplay, doves, placebo) so I'm guessing they took inspiration from those types of bands. The straight indie rock tracks are the least interesting thing here, thankfully it opens up into dreamy soundscapes and the occasional mathy sounding song, which actually sound pretty good. Definitely more of a slow burn, I could see myself liking it more on repeat listens. The last song is very emblematic of the record, after a slow start it flourishes into a pretty astonishing song. This also seems a bit ahead of the curve for this style of music, only by a few years, but this sound did get more popular around the mid 00s. Should it be in the main list: I don't think so, but it would make for an interesting inclusion Top 3 songs: 156, Symmetry, Comforting Sounds

Holy ballsack I had a bit of a hard time not to just tune out while listening. Somewhat forgettable. The drink equivalent of this album would be a mix of jägermeister, sloe gin, triple sec, quadruple sec, gunk from a dog's eye, absolut pikl, red stripe from aquafresh toothpaste, 1 drop of hot sauce and venom of the lousiana labamoth. but its pretty good

Another early-mid 2000s collection of arrogant indie. The first track fits neatly in with the overwrought self-importance of the era, falling into the trap that because it uses an orchestra, it might somehow be meaningful. Strings don't make crap indie good. Shit, there's also a theremin in there, because of course there is. Yeah, the early-mid 2000s can absolutely do one, even if they're Danish.

Not something I would listen to on my own volition. Somehow the combination of vocal and music is making me hate this album. No danish pastry for me today.

Really liked this! Some great songs from Denmark that I’m glad to have here.

I really loved listening to this!

What I came for, who knew I needed more Danish in my life

Didn't expect this from a Danish band. Pretty enjoyable. Really liked snow brigade, but album was solid.

Nice choice, thoroughly enjoyed it

Great indie rock album. I’m stunned I never heared of Mew. I listened to the whole album thinking it was a female singer. So I’m impressed by the vocal range of the frontman. I do not think all material is strong, but I was captured by the second half of the album (She Came Home for Christmas, Eight Flew Over, One Was Destroyed and Comforting Sounds). Certainly the last two are amazing.

Very nice. Reminds me a lot of Death Cab for Cutie and other indie bands from the early oughts. 4 stars.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Am I wry? No, Snow brigade, Behind the drapes, She came home for christmas, She spider

This kept falling in the background and I would forget I was listening to it. But I still enjoyed it.

There's always something about the Nordic sound- this is really good and is like a rockier Sigr Ros? Alternative music. Det er meget godt!!

A great record! Never listened to this one out of their albums for some reason, so it’s good to hear it now and see that Mew made great records from the go

It’s pretty good and I’m not sure how it’s flown under my radar for so long. Definitely has “Ben Gibbard” starts a Prog band feel to it.

Started out fine and then really grew on me. Had a long chat with Claude about She Came Home for Christmas. Interesting album, nothing I ever would have heard otherwise, good share.

Right up one's alley, somewhat melancholy, but ultimately hopeful and occasionally beautiful (if not quite fully transcendent) indie rock. It's buoyant and hooky and tuneful and holds together from beginning to end. Doesn't ever get too Coldplay-y., which is a risk of course, particularly on the rather majestic crescendo of the closer. Dumb album name is balanced by cool band name, if one thinks such things matter (which one very much does). Would certainly add to list proper, if only to inject some Danish energy.

This was a terrific find. Atmospheric in a soaring kind of way, with a very Scandinavian vibe. Thank you, adder of Mew!

mmmmm Danish

Never heard of them. Worth more listening

Not heard it for years and it didn’t disappoint

Rock alternativo. Suave. Voz aguda de chica. Melódico. Bonito.

This album was pleasant and easy to listen to. I’d go back and check this one out again.

4.5

No matter what I think about it, it already deserves one extra star for giving me the opportunity to know a bit more about a Danish band. I enjoyed the album a lot, especially the banger "She Spider," which made me almost dance while listening.

This was a good listen. I enjoyed it.

I never heard this band before and really enjoyed this!!

This one grew on me after not feeling terribly exciting at the start. It's a versatile album, but one song still fits in with the next. Great production also helps make this one 4/5

I have no idea what to expect from this. Let's just go. I dunno how to describe this. It's kinda like post rock, but follows more usual song structures. Not always, but it isn't like 15min drawn out dirges. Singing is neither here nor there. 3/5.

Rock alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.

I’d never listened to Mew before, so this was a fun introduction. Not every track jumped out at me, but the general personality and sense of genuine fun radiating from each track made this an enjoyable listen. I see the list as a way of uncovering musical blind spots so this was a great add imo - I never knew this kind of Panchiko-esque metal-adjacent rock was being made so early into the aughts.

Some solid enjoyable alt rock. Really liked Eight Flex Over and Comforting Sounds, though a lot of it wasn't quite as engaging.

Enjoyable. Subtle but strong musicianship. The vocals didn't quite land for me about half the time. Fave Songs: Behind the Drapes; Her Voice Is Beyond Her Years; She Came Home for Christmas; Comforting Sounds; Symmetry; Am I Wry? No

I really want to love this more than I actually do. It checks all the right boxes—stylistically, sonically, even emotionally. The ingredients are there, like a musical recipe I usually crave. But somehow, the final dish feels under-seasoned. It floats along pleasantly enough, but with the energy of a half-inflated helium balloon—just enough lift to stay airborne, but not enough to soar. It’s frustrating, really. So close to greatness, yet just shy of the spark that makes it unforgettable."

Pleasant if unremarkable. Not nearly enough pokemon references for me

A delightful spacey Death Cab for Cutie

mid 2.5

Some music and some words.

It was pleasant enough, but ultimately, the title is better than the songs themselves.

I mewed to this whole thing

Interesting indie album.

Pretty good

Ok so i have a weird Mandela Effect false memory of listening to Mew’s 2005 album (Mew and the glass handed kites) as part of this project - but I have triple checked and it’s definitely not on either the main list or the user-submitted list, so not sure what happened there. Anyway, both albums are decent but nothing too memorable. The first few tracks of this are quite bold and hint at something majestic to come but the other songs didn’t quite hit the same heights, and it fizzled out after the slightly creepy kid singing

Real nice

Frengers is an example of dreamy shoegaze style music that doesn't suck. It's really atmospheric and draws you in, not especially catchy or memorable, but is nice to listen to and occasionally brings a change of tempo to keep you interested; Her Voice Is Beyond Her Years is my favourite track for that reason. Good, 3/5.

Neat to hear a Danish alt rock band, but really not breaking any new ground, but it is interesting to hear a Danish take on the genre. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

It’s fine, but the postal service did this better.

Enjoyed enough.

Scandinavian music of this time was never less than interesting. This is quite post-Radiohead, pre-Coldplay, with complex melodies making up for the occasionally weak lyrics.

Rock alternativo. Ni fu ni fa.

This was good. One excellent song, the last one. The rest were ok.

Cierto estilo a Coldplay, pero con voz femenina. Al principio parecía que gustaría más. Ciertas canciones con mucha "pompa" y entusiasmo. Algo diferente. Podría haber enganchado más, pero está bien en líneas generales.

Delightful music for a gray day.

interesting. different. worth a second look.

Forgettable mimicry of early 2000s bands like Garbage

I was intrigued but very quickly lost interest.

Some bits of this were great. Not all sadly, but I am glad I got to give this a listen

Some of the songs are great. Most are just OK. I can understand that people like this album.

pretty good - a band i'm not familiar with

Mew have always been a bit overrated for me. This one was better than most other listens, but nothing amazing. 2.5/5

An alright indie pop album by this band Mew (pokemon fans?). It was like a less poppy sound than walk the moon while having stronger guitar presence and lyrically not as glimmer pop. Overall I still found this album hard to enjoy as all of the songs missed the mark for me. 5.3/10

Halfway through and this is a down beat indie record like a lot of the rest. I don't have a good ear for this genre and i don't think it has improved after getting through the project. This sounds so very generic. Comforting Sounds is like a downbeat Killers track.

This one didn't quite get there

En oo koskaan tästä Mew-tyyppisestä stadion-menosta ollut kovin innoissani. Tämäkin on vähän turhan pitkä ja yksitoikkoinen.