Serotonin

Mystery Jets have seemed to always be on the cusp of something-- it's a story so built for a "Where Are They Now?"-themed future issue of MOJO. The UK pop-rockers emerged in 2006 with obscure upbringings (the holy-shit-is-that-a-real-place Eel Pie Island), a strange lineup (one of their guitarists, Henry Harrison, is the 60-year-old father of lead singer Blaine Harrison), and an exuberant, prog-leaning debut, Making Dens. 2008's tepid follow-up, Twenty One, found the Jets with a minor hit on their hands, the polite Cars hat tip "Two Doors Down", but the milquetoast, mid-tempo material it accompanied lacked the inventiveness and general freewheeling fun of their first effort.

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Mystery Jets are the inheritors of Britpop. Serotonin is produced by Chris Thomas, whose career has spanned decades of British pop, working with bands like Pink Floyd, the Sex Pistols and Pulp. The album has a huge production to go along with that résumé, but the key to this album is melody. Mystery Jets write melodies so catchy that they sound like songs you’ve already heard—which is arguably the hallmark of every great pop song. If the song triggers a reminiscence that can’t quite be placed—although you may rattle off a few band names, they still don’t cover it all—this usually means something is working.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010