With their sophomore full-length "The Point at Which It Falls Apart" that was released in 1999, British dark synthpop act MESH achieved a breakthrough both artistically and in critical acclaim as well as commercially. In the year of the 25th anniversary of the album, MESH reissue this long out of print milestone in a beautiful artbook edition packed with bonus materials.
MESH had been conceived in 1991 when lead singer and guitarist Mark Hockings and keyboardist and vocalist Richard Silverthorn found friendship and mutual common ground, leading to the formation of the band. This musical partnership has ever since defined MESH's enduring legacy.
The duo was soon joined by Neil Taylor on keyboards, who had already been playing in another band with Silverthorn. MESH's creative synergy emerged from a complementary distribution of roles: Richard Silverthorn composed the music, while Mark Hockings penned evocative and profound lyrics, infusing depth and emotion into their soundscapes.
MESH's musical journey commenced with the release of the "Fragile" EP in 1994 and the full-length debut "In this Place Forever" two years later in 1996. In 1999 came the next grand milestone with the sophomore album "The Point At Which It Falls Apart". Collaborations with producers such as Mark Oh, showcased the band's diverse musical inclinations.
The major label release of "Who Watches over Me" in 2002, propelled MESH further into the limelight and marked a turning point. A surge of popularity across Europe, particularly in Germany let the UK band climb higher up the festival billings. Their collaboration with former Depeche Mode producer Gareth Jones for "We Collide" (2006) solidified their status in the electronic music realm.
Adapting to lineup changes, MESH continued their musical journey with the core-duo, augmenting live performances with drummer Sean Suleman and additional live keyboardists. The band strengthened their global presence, particularly expanding in the Americas.
"Automation Baby" (2013) reached #33 on the German album charts and generally dominated European Alternative Charts. With "Looking Skyward" (2016), MESH climbed to even greater heights with a #12 position on the German charts.
Demonstrating artistic versatility, MESH collaborated with a classical orchestra at the 'Gothic meets Klassik' festival in 2015. The band continued their musical evolution, and welcomed Vaughn George to their live lineup in April 2023.
Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn are currently in the process of writing the next MESH studio album. To shorten the eager wait for old and new fans alike, the duo is making their longtime sold out and much sought-after second album "The Point at Which It Falls Apart" available again in a diligently remastered version.
So far the intro and promo talk. If I look back I can say I noticed the band at the end of the 90’s and even saw them on stage in Ghent (Belgium). To me this band has always been a enraged version of Depeche Mode with lyrics on fire and filled with rage and stuff about unhappy things. Mesh in my country is like a fuse, in this case having a short fuse and this sums up it all.
Let’s now focus on the music!
I Fall Over builds up slowly and sounds a bit softer then expected (or that I can remember). Sound wise you can call it synth pop mixed with some break beats, strings and real drums.
Self Healing Lie has a higher tempo and sounds like how Mesh sounded all over the years: fired up, sharp, a perfect tempo, mister short fuse behind the mic (hence even the trembling vocals get close to Depeche Mode) and great synth play.
People Like Me (with this Gun) starts slowly, builds up and gets slightly enraged. I expected more from this one noticing the title. The way Mark sings it, it sounds like a mix between 80’s synthpop and a Hip-hop battle.
Needle in a Bruiseis a more emotional track and one of the best in here. You can feel that the lyrics are all real and not just something invented.
These Empty Rooms is a short track, with no vocals and is what I call a filler or a story teller. Mid-tempo, a synth and a few noise slices and that’s it.
It Scares Me is the closest Mesh gets to a ballad (in this version). The lyrics are lovely and surely taken from real life. It’s a beauty!
The Damage You Do starts with a roaring sound, builds up slowly (with real drums), mister short fuse makes the best out of it: spitting out his unhappiness about a bad relationship.
Fallen sounds in the beginning as if taken out of a Disney musical, until the drums kick in and we also get more electronics. I’m not sure what was the right idea behind this track. It sounds for sure totally different from all the other songs.
My Defender is one of my favourite tracks on this album as I also dragged it into my personal playlist. It’s a softer song with lesser rage (although you can feel it, it’s close and yet hides a bit). The sweetness reigns here.
Is Nothing Sacred has some special effect on the vocals, rendering the rage a bit better. The music mixes rock with electronics.
My Saddest Day has to be the saddest song on this album (with a guitar that reminds me a bit of Science Fiction Twilight series).
Not Prepared is a great last one: you can feel the drama, the passion in the vocals, the rage, the real emotions, the insecurity … I hear a bit of a classic instrumental touch in the music (it could make it with strings)! It’s clearly a top track!
Strange thing is that this band at some point did not get the chance to get bigger, attract a huge crowd, play as headliner at the biggest festivals … I feel they somehow lost the momentum. They had great songs, evolved, grew, matured, got loved … And yet if we check for example the German charts it’s Feuerschwanz, Lord of The Lost, Suicide Commando, … I wanted it to happen for them, but I’m left clueless behind … Fans might hate me for pointing this out and yes: we are 25 years later!
Recording line-up
Mark Hockings – vocals, guitar
Richard Silverthorn – keyboard, vocals
Neil Taylor – keyboards
Recording by Mark Hockings, Richard Silverthorn, Neil Taylor.
Mixed & produced by Mesh
Original mastering by Jonathan Lane, Bristol
Remastering by Olaf Wollschläger, Cottonbeat Studio, Burscheid (DE)
Link
www.mesh.co.uk
Shop
http://lnk.spkr.media/mesh-the-point
