I had introduced you to the Norwegians from 'MEER' who made a very good impression on me with their second album 'Playing House' in 2021 and 2024 saw the release in August of their new baby 'Wheels Within Wheels'. Still led by the two 'Nesdal' brothers and sisters accompanied by 6 other artists who considerably expand the ensemble, they offer us 11 compositions which confirm all the talent of this young group which should satisfy all lovers of refined symphonic progressive. I find in this latest opus what I said in the summary of 'Playing House', namely, "a beautiful journey filled with freshness and originality" with, the cherry on the cake for this one, even more provided vocal harmonies that stand out in each composition.
We are greeted by 'Chains of Changes' which takes us back a few decades in a sort of mix between the symphonic side of 'Renaissance' and the more mainstream pop side of 80s pop bands, the second part leaning more on the progressive side with a long instrumental section (see the video above). Next comes the mid-tempo 'Behave' which also shows a symphonic pop face thanks to well-provided string accompaniments and the changes in intensity throughout the title bring these very pleasant alternations between strong and weak beats. 'Take Me To The River' starts off very quietly and reminds me of the beginnings of 'Barclay James Harvest' with some very nice vocal harmonies, then in the second part, the song picks up the pace and creates a light and rustic atmosphere, then 'Come To Light' offers us a very moving performance by 'Johanne Nesdal' who reminds me of the soft voice and atmosphere given off by the singer 'Sade' in the 80s but the Norwegians then add some nice variations to make it one of the jewels of this album, the choirs being simply magical.
Change of scenery with 'Golden Circle' which takes us into the disco period of the 80s and which smells of the relaxed atmospheres of that time, and, at the risk of repeating myself, the vocal duet of the 'Nesdal' siblings is a pure delight (see the video here). Also very catchy, 'To What End' brings a greater complexity than its predecessor with in particular beautiful rhythmic breaks and more sought-after instrumental parts bringing a good dose of progressive, then, 'Today Tonight Tomorrow' raises the emotional slider a few notches by offering us a ballad of great beauty which makes it one of the highlights of the album (see the very beautiful acoustic video here).
After the short and magnificent piano interlude 'World Of Wonder' very refined with some celestial choirs, 'Mother' continues in softness and offers us a new melodic gem with again this magical vocal duo that brings all the tenderness necessary for this kind of title. Much more vigorous, 'Something In The Water' is no less a magnificent title that shows all the talent of this formation whether vocally or instrumentally and that could be a good summary of this mixture of pop and progressive rock that 'MEER' offers us. And to finish this magnificent 'Wheels Within Wheels', 'This Is The End' is a long development, of more than 9 minutes, which takes us into a more sought-after progressive labyrinth and which certainly requires several listens to fully immerse oneself in it and which is the culmination for wonderful vocal harmonies.
In summary, the Norwegians of 'MEER' strike a big blow with this new album which should become one of the references in symphonic progressive of this year 2024 because there is no downtime in this hour of listening and, this 'Wheels Within Wheels' which was expected following the already very good 'Playing House' of 2021, finally exceeds all expectations and should propel them into the circle of the best groups of this style and make them known to a much wider audience of progressive music... | |
