Search - Mesh :: We Collide (Bonus Dvd)

Celebration time

Ethan Straffin | Palo Alto, CA USA | 04/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, just for the record, I consider Mesh to be the most talented purveyors of dark synthpop on the planet at the moment. So, it probably wouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone that I like this album. A lot. Is it as good as "Who Watches Over Me," or possibly even better? I'm not prepared to answer that one just yet, so I'll just take the easy way out and recommend buying both. Both albums are at least 2/3 brilliant, with a few lesser moments toward the center. Going track by track:



1. Open Up the Ground -- This is the first of the album's three big dancefloor tracks, and it's a perfect opener.

2. What Are You Scared Of? -- One of my favorites. It's got a dangerous groove, nice use of piano in the verse and guitar in the chorus, and one of the album's better lyrical hooks ("Only you can press that button").

3. Step By Step -- The second dance track. I'm given to believe that it will be the second single, and if it gets enough of a push, it could be a monster. Fingers crossed.

4. No Place Like Home -- The first of three downtempo songs, and easily the most stunning. It's reminiscent of "Leave You Nothing" from WWOM both musically and lyrically. Addressed to a son or daughter with an abusive (and murderous?) stepfather, it manages to be simultaneously heartbreaking, haunting, and hopeful. Very Depechey, with some strong piano work.

5. Petrified -- My feeling about this one is that, as the longest song on the album, it needed a few more chord changes.

6. Rest in Pieces -- And now we have the shortest song (apart from the hidden one at the end, which I won't otherwise spoil). It's not bad, though there are a few uncharacteristic clunkers in the lyrics, of which the bad-goth-poem title pun is only the most noticeable.

7. This Is What You Wanted -- The most guitar-driven song on the album. It reminds me a bit of "Razorwire" from WWOM, but it's considerably better.

8. Room With a View -- From what I've been reading in the fora on Mesh's official site, people seem to either like this one a lot or not much at all. I must admit that I fall into the latter camp. It's just too consistently minor-key and dirgelike for my taste.

9. My Hands Are Tied -- From the most minor-key song to the most major-key song. While the beat and the unexpected "wah-wah" guitar cause the verse to veer strangely close to midtempo disco territory, all is forgiven once the chorus kicks in. I can't get the darn thing out of my head.

10. Crash -- This is the lead single, and a fine choice it was. It's very catchy and very danceable. If you like it, I recommend the "Alien Six Kerosene Remix" on the single, which I like even more. (The single also features a great B-side in "Soul," which I think they should have swapped with "Rest in Pieces.")

11. Can You Mend Hearts? -- Mesh tend to have a way with big emotional midtempo closers. (See "The Trouble We're In" from WWOM and "Not Prepared" from "The Point at Which it Falls Apart," of which this one is strongly reminiscent in one particular passage.) This is a fine addition to the canon.



All in all, it's a terrific album. The DVD on the limited edition adds a making-of featurette whose highlights include some nifty instrumental versions in the background. The music videos are low-budget but enjoyable. The live footage is a treat for those of us who are stuck on the wrong continent when it comes to catching an actual Mesh concert -- even if singer Mark can't seem to find the melody in the verse of "From This Height" for the life of him. Finally, while the demos are nowhere near as good as the final products, it's interesting to hear how the songs evolved. U.S. purchasers should be aware that the DVD is region-coded and in PAL format, so you'll need the right hardware and/or software to access it."

Splendid album , Excellent comback !

Moskovich Gil | Kiryat-Gat , Israel | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is awsome new album from the england based trio. once again they deliver the gods , with updated beats and rythems. the lyrics are once again full of passion,power and emotions.

This sound was upgraded with guitars (much more than before) ,

and it takes a while to adapt , but after a couple of listenings , you fall in love. There are some really good tracks in here , i'll name a few > "Open up the ground","Crash","What are you scared of","Step by step" , and my personal favourite from this album is track no.4 - "no place like home" . the rest of the tracks are pretty good also, although it takes a while adapting to their new sound.

all in all , highly recommended !"

Mesh never fails to WOW!

J. Caron | Orem, UT United States | 04/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This new album was well worth the wait! Mesh is one of my favorite bands and they never fail to wow me. I love this CD. The music is catchy enough that you love it right away, though it only gets better with each listen. In fact, I like this better than their last effort. It has a little more energy and grit. The songs are punchy and diverse, heartfelt and thought-provoking. The limited edition comes with a bonus DVD that has a "Making of Collide" feature that's over 26 minutes long, fun music videos of three great songs: "Crash", "Leave You Nothing" and "Friends Like These", live performances of "From This Height", "What Does it Cost You" and "Let Them Crush Us", plus audio bonus tracks of previously unreleased demoversions. On top of all that, it comes with a cool booklet with lyrics and cool photography. Definately worth the extra cost. If you love Mesh, synthpop, Depeche Mode or just plain good music, get this album!"