The sophomore album by Norwegian orchestral pop proggers Meer titled Playing House garnered the band a lot of praise and numerous glowing reviews, and rightfully so as it was a fully formed piece of work and an utterly absorbing and addictive listen. The eclectic and unique-sounding outfit will reveal and release their third opus, Wheels Within Wheels, via Karisma Records in late August, and there is plenty to look forward to for the musically adventurous and open-minded listeners out there.
Not only are those big, exquisite melodies and joyous hooks synonymous with their previous record even more present and prominent on this stellar new record of theirs, but the arrangements display a sense of creativity and cleverness that one rarely comes across, and the thing about Meer is that they make it sound effortless. While persistently melancholy and occasionally full of yearning, which is to say that it is a rather reflective and intimate odyssey in many ways, it also feels more epic in terms of scope and atmosphere. This is perfectly exemplified by ‘Come to Light’, which is cinematic in nature. ‘Golden Circle’ exudes a certain coolness and groove, and there is a crisp brightness and an uplifting quality to the piece that makes it an intoxicating experience. ‘To What End’ is as moving as they come and full of surprises and interesting layers not to mention some excellent vocals that add a bit of edge and subtle aggression to the proceedings. At times almost weightless only to segue seamlessly into slightly harder and more punchy territory, Wheels Within Wheels is very much the embodiment of a tight, vigorous, and innovative ensemble of gifted musicians with an impressive ability to weave symphonic pop, entrancing prog rock, and dream-like tapestries of sound together to great effect, and such expressive and sonorous compositions as ‘Today Tonight Tomorrow’ and ‘Mother’ are some of the finest and most memorable tunes ever written by the band.
The warm accessibility of the material and the wonderful chemistry between the members of Meer have resulted in eleven sophisticated songs that collectively form a compelling whole that is worth devoting plenty of time to dissect and explore in depth. As to a personal favourite, let us go with the riveting and powerful ‘Something in the Water’, but you might get a totally different answer had you asked me tomorrow as singling out album highlights is a futile exercise, which speaks volumes about how consistently good it truly is.
Wheels Within Wheels will be released by Karisma Records on August 23, 2024.
