Meer’s Wheels Within Wheels shows creativity and cleverness

The second album from Norwegian orchestral pop proggers More titled Play house earned the band much praise and numerous rave reviews, and rightly so, as it was a fully formed piece of work and a completely absorbing and addictive listening experience. The eclectic and unique sounding band will unveil and release their third opus, Wheels within wheelsvia Karisma Records in late August, and there’s plenty to look forward to for the musically adventurous and open-minded listener.

Not only are those big, beautiful melodies and upbeat hooks synonymous with their previous record even more present and prominent on this great new record of theirs, but the arrangements display a sense of creativity and cleverness that you rarely come across, and the thing about More is that they make it sound effortless. While persistently melancholic and occasionally full of longing, which is to say that it is in many ways a rather reflective and intimate odyssey, 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 luminous clarity and uplifting quality to the piece that makes it an intoxicating experience.With what purpose‘ is as moving as they come and is full of surprises and interesting layers, not to mention the excellent vocals that add a bit of edge and subtle aggression to the proceedings. At times almost weightless, but then seamlessly transitioning into slightly harder and more powerful territory, Wheels within wheels is the embodiment of a tight, powerful and innovative ensemble of talented musicians with an impressive ability to weave symphonic pop, enchanting prog rock and dreamy sound carpets in a wonderful way, creating such expressive and sonorous compositions as ‘Today Tonight Tomorrow‘ And ‘Mother‘ are among the most beautiful and memorable songs the band has ever written.

The warm accessibility of the material and the great chemistry between the members of Meer have resulted in eleven refined tracks that together form a compelling whole that is worth dissecting and exploring in depth. As for a personal favorite, let’s go with the compelling and powerful ‘Something in the water‘, but if you asked me tomorrow you might get a very different answer, because highlighting highlights of an album is pointless, but that says enough about how consistently good the album really is.

Wheels within wheels will be released on August 23, 2024 by Karisma Records.