Often lauded for their creative and progressive "space pop" style, 2006 looks to be the year that Denmark's Mew just might amass an audience as large as they deserve. Having released their albums via their own record label (Evil Office) since 2000, the latest addition to the Mew discography, And the Glass Handed Kites, finds the band - Jonas Bjerre (vocals), Bo Madsen (guitars), Johan Wohlert (bass) and Silas Utke Graæ Jørgensen (drums) - expanding their adventurous, otherwordly sound to create one of the year's must-hear records. Following a recently concluded summer stint supporting Bloc Party on tour and with their latest album newly released stateside, vocalist Jonas Bjerre kindly set aside some time to discuss touring, musical inspiration and the band's creative process. Enjoy and, to quote the official bio, keep having those nightmares!

Serendipity Media: How has 2006 been treating you?
Jonas Bjerre: It's been a great year so far. We have grown in people's consciousness from touring and getting more airplay. And we finally have a release in America, which is something we've been hoping for for quite some time. In fact we've just come back from touring in the US and it was a tremendous experience.

How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
That's always difficult. Although we started out sounding like a kind of indie rock band we always had something that made us stand out a bit. For good or for worse. Alan McGee once called us a mixture between Prefab Sprout and My Bloody Valentine. I like that. I think we are a bit hard to describe, really.

What kind of experience was it creating And the Glass Handed Kites?
It was a very intense project. We wanted the album to capture hope and fear in equal measures. Describe some of the pillars of life. We set out to do something very ambitious and it was a tough album to finish. In periods there was a lot of anxiety with intermittent rushes of happiness. In periods we had a lot of fun with it too.

Were there any major differences in the process of making Kites versus previous albums?
Our previous album Frengers was conceived over a number of years of writing and 6 of the songs we had even recorded before, and it was a question of choosing the best songs and performing and recording them as well as we could. This time it was much more focused, a 3 month writing period in our house in rainy London followed by 4 months of recording in sunny LA. The whole album is like that: full of contrast.

Are there some specific sources of inspiration behind the songs on the new album?
Dreams are always a source of inspiration. But not necessarily in a direct sense. I think of dreams as a secret language in your subconscious, they can be very inspiring. Of course they can be both beautiful and horrific. We want lyrics and music to leave room for the imagination of the listener. It should create images and feelings and always only hint at meaning. Symbolism and meaning as two separate items.

Can you pick a favorite song on the album?
It changes all the time but right now my favorite is "A Dark Design" because for me that song captures the ultimate nightmare but leaves you with a sense of hope, or at least an escape from the dark things. Melodically though it's probably "The Zookeeper's Boy" because of it's many layers of melody and harmonies.

How did the deal with Columbia Records come about?
We did a few shows, some in the US, some in Europe. The word spread and labels started getting interested. We ultimately signed with Epic in the UK which turned into Sony/BMG which turned into Columbia when the US put out the album.

How has touring been treating you? Any stories?
This tour has been a real pleasure. There is a flux in energy and each day is either really different or really the same. It's best when it surprises you a bit. We have a lot of stories but most of them are too personal to really get into. I really enjoyed touring with Bloc Party in the US and with REM, because they are both bands that I respect and they have created music that means something to me.

What can fans heading out to a Mew concert expect?
They can expect something very dreamlike both in terms of music and visuals. And they can expect a band that want to convey feeling rather than attitude.

What would you consider to be some of your main influences musically?
There have been different stages of influence. Early on it was Prince, Pet Shop Boys, the '80s pop stuff. Later it became indie rock bands like Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine. The band Swirlies made their mark on us. Now it's more difficult to say. We have a lot of bands that we all like but also we are interested in separate things.

What is it that you hope people will walk away from your music having experienced?
I'd like to think that they feel the music recognized something inside of them.

What's the last album you've heard that's really impressed you?
I thought the Animal Collective Feels album was great! I was impressed with their ideas for using harmony vocals and layered recording. They're really ... wacky. I also quite enjoy the Why? Elephant Eyelash album. It's an unusual mixture of things.

What album is your CD collection embarrassed to be in the same company of?
We enjoy stuff that a lot of people think of as uncool. Stuff we grew up with, like Genesis (yes, even the later stuff). When we were recording in LA we would sometimes drive around with the windows down playing "Mama" at very high volume! I am not ashamed though. Shame is for the weaklings.

Is there anyone you would you love to work with in the future?
I'd love to work with Little Jimmy Scott, have him sing on some of our music. I have experienced him live twice. It is like being in the presence of someone from another world. His voice ... it takes my breath away.

Thanks for your time! Anything we missed that you'd like to mention?
We feel extremely privileged to be able to make a living making music. Therefore I would like to thank you for your time as well.

For more Mew, visit them online at mewsite.com.