MESH WHO WATCHES OVER ME? ALBUM HOME RELEASE: APRIL 8, 2002 REVIEW: MARCH 24, 2002

"Who Watches over Me?" will surely give new life to the ever ongoing debate about sound renewal. I find this debate, in many ways, to be quite stupid. I do think that bands who strive to evolve musically should be applauded, but the trend to create new sound hybrids, without thinking things through it seems, is way too exaggerated in my view. I sincerely believe there is room for extensive variation within genres and that altering a talent for the sake of renewal, in most cases, is nothing but full blown madness.
Mesh is one of the most talented bands in the business, no doubt about it. It is shown clearly, yet again, on their brand new album "Who Watches over Me?". It is similar to "The Point at Which It Falls Apart" though, which might hurt it somewhat, at least in the eyes of those hoping for a new, reincarnated and significantly different Mesh. However, I'm the reviewer and I find it impossible to resist the familiar recipe of the British trio. Insightful lyrics, as in the emotionally devastating, but at the same time hypnotisingly beautiful ballad "To Be Alive" and the typical, fast paced chorus monsters, for example the single "Leave You Nothing" and "Friends Like These", take turns to form a strong album unity. In a nutshell, Mesh does what Mesh does better than anyone else.
There are only so many ways to describe the sound of a synthpop band before you start to sound like broken record, though. So just think of "Who Watches over Me?" as a slightly updated, but equally strong brother to "The Point at Which It Falls Apart". That should be reason enough to run yourself sweaty through the streets in order to get a hold of it.

NIKLAS FORSBERG