We rated every studio album track by track
To find out which is the best Mesh album, I did the work and rated every single album track by track. I summarized the result in a ranking that you can find here. At the end of the article, the values are again clearly arranged, shown chronologically in a curve graph.
How I discovered Mesh and how visualisation matters
In 1996, people weren't permanently online, the internet was only for freaks (nowadays nerds) and no one had heard of music streaming anyway, not to mention that it would have worked technically. To discover new music, you regularly went to your local record shop and browsed through the new releases. I know that sounds like the babbling of an old person at first. But nostalgia is the key factor here!
At that time, Anton Corbijn's image aesthetics were roughly described as "blurred and with fully saturated colours". Exactly this image aesthetic was also dominant in the music videos of the early 90s by 'Depeche Mode'. It was exactly this visual language that 'Mesh' used for their debut album 'In This Place Forever' as still young and unknown artists to attract attention. It worked well for me.
I knew the visual language and immediately had an association with 'Depeche Mode' and listened to the album in the shop. Wow, what a sound, I thought to myself, and I immediately bought the CD and was super happy to have discovered a new fantastic band. A day I still remember very clearly to this day.
An almost flat line chart
I don't think we've ever had a ranking that close together. All Mesh albums released so far are on an extremely high level in the synth pop scene. Even the weakest album 'The Point At Which It Falls Apart' (ironically) is above the midfield with 3.33 stars and is an album worth listening to with real highlights. Find out what the best Mesh album ever is, even this ranking is very close.
The best Mesh album charts
7. The Point At Which It Falls Apart
Release: 1999
Overall Rating: 3.33 ★★★☆☆
Great tracks: I Fall Over, People Like Me With This Gun, Needle In A Bruise, The Damage You Do, Not Prepared
Weak tracks: These Empty Rooms, My Saddest Day
The second album contains one or the other highlight and is generally not a bad album. However, due to the amount of average songs, it is Mesh's weakest record in my opinion. Perhaps we have to give the album credit for the fact that at the turn of the millennium, the synth pop genre overall looked very meagre.
- I Fall Over 4
- Self Healing Lie 3
- People Like Me With This Gun 4
- Needle In A Bruise 4
- These Empty Rooms 2
- It Scares Me 3
- The Damage You Do 4
- Fallen 3
- My Defender 3.5
- Is Nothing Sacred? 3
- My Saddest Day 2.5
- Not Prepared 4
6. Who Watches Over Me?
Release: 2002
Overall Rating: 3.79 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Leave You Nothing, To Be Alive, Little Missile, Razorwire, I Can't Imagine How It Hurts
Weak tracks: (None)
You can't really speak negatively of a second-last place with a magnificent star rating of 3.79 and including evergreen hits like 'Leave You Nothing' or 'Little Missle'.
However, I have to admit that it is the album with the cover artwork that I like least of 'Mesh'. But this is about music and not design! For an album that is already 20 years old, it still sounds contemporary. Maybe even timeless, but unfortunately also very mediocre.
- Firefly 3.5
- Leave You Nothing 5
- To Be Alive 4
- Retaliation 3.5
- Little Missile 5
- Razorwire 4.5
- Four Walls 3
- What Does It Cost You? 3.5
- I Can't Imagine How It Hurts 4
- The Place You Hide 3
- Friends Like These 3.5
- The Trouble We're In 3
5. Automation Baby
Release: 2013
Overall Rating: 3.96 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Just Leave Us Alone, Taken For Granted, You Want What's Owed To You, Automation Baby, This Is The Time, Adjust Your Set, Born To Lie, Flawless, Never Meet Your Heroes, When The City Breathes
Weak tracks: AB Incidental No.1, AB Incidental No.2
'Automation Baby' was the first 'Mesh' album we reviewed here on Electrozombies. 'A Perfect Solution' was unfortunately a year too early, or we were too late. Depending on the point of view! I was really looking forward to the 6th studio album of the Brits. Especially because I was able to listen to the album a few weeks before its official release.
Despite concert anthems like 'Just Leave Us Alone', 'Flawless' and the club banger 'Born To Lie', the album still ends up on the lower ranks. Nevertheless, the album is a real electro rock / synth pop grenade and proves the extremely high quality of the 'Mesh' albums.
- Just Leave Us Alone 5
- Taken For Granted 4.5
- You Want What's Owed To You 4.5
- Automation Baby 5
- AB Incidental No.1 2
- This Is The Time 4
- The Way I Feel 3
- Adjust Your Set 4
- Born To Lie 5
- AB Incidental No.2 2
- Flawless 5
- Never Meet Your Heroes 4
- When The City Breathes 4.5
- You Couldn't See This Coming 3
4. We Collide
Release: 2006
Overall Rating: 4.13 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Open Up The Ground, What Are You Scared Of?, Step By Step, No Place Like Home, Petrified, Rest In Pieces, This Is What You Wanted, Room With A View, Crash
Weak tracks: The World's A Big Place
Out of seven studio albums, four are in the 4+ star range. For that alone I give the band all my respect. 'We Collide' is the name of the 4th studio album from 2006. I don't know what happened there, but I remember that the album kind of passed me by at first. Somehow the marketing didn't work so well here.
The album 'We collide' contains five 5‑star all-time hits, as well as some songs that scratch this level. So this album is a real synth pop masterpiece that feels like it's flying under the radar.
- Open Up The Ground 4
- What Are You Scared Of? 4
- Step By Step 5
- No Place Like Home 5
- Petrified 5
- Rest In Pieces 5
- This Is What You Wanted 4.5
- Room With A View 5
- My Hands Are Tied 3
- Crash 4
- Can You Mend Hearts? 3
- The World's A Big Place 2
3. A Perfect Solution
Release: 2009
Overall Rating: 4.14 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: If We Stay Here, Only Better, Everything I Made, Is It So Hard?, Hold It Together, How Long?, Who Says?, Hopes.Dreams, The Bitter End
Weak tracks: (None)
'A Perfect Solution' is the first album by 'Mesh' that was released on the label 'Dependent'. Despite the label change, the band has remained true to their sound and concept. What has changed is that the band is now a duo. After Neil Taylor left the band, Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn had to produce the album by themselves. I think they both succeeded very well.
In my opinion, there are far fewer 5‑star hits on 'A Perfect Solution' than on 'We Collide'. It makes up for its predecessor with fewer gap fillers which in the end catapults it to pretty much the same rating. Recommended for this album is the remix version 'An Alternative Solution', with remixes of 'Zeromancer', 'Iris', 'Assemblage 23' and many more.
- If We Stay Here 4.5
- Only Better 5
- Everything I Made 4.5
- Is It So Hard? 4
- Hold It Together 4
- It's Gone 3
- How Long? 5
- Who Says? 4.5
- Hopes.Dreams 4
- Want You 3
- The Bitter End 4
2. Looking Skyward
Release: 2016
Overall Rating: 4.23 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: My Protector, Tactile, The Last One Standing, The Traps We Made, Kill Your Darlings, Runway, Before This World Ends, Two+1, The Ride, The Fixer, Once Surrounded
Weak tracks: Iris
At the time of writing 'What is the best Mesh album ever?' I'm just realising that the latest studio album is already 7 years old and I'm eagerly missing new material. 'Mesh' has become a steady constant in the scene and also for me personally. Musically always on the pulse of time and the quality is always high. One of the few bands where I can blindly buy the next album without listening to it and I know that I won't be disappointed. Respect for this achievement.
The album 'Looking Skyward' did excellent in our review and I compared the band here with famous bands like 'Camouflage', 'De/Vision' and 'Beborn Beton'. Furthermore, the album made it to 5th place in our 'The best Synth Pop and genre-related albums 2016'. But the competitors were also particularly tough in this year.
- My Protector 5
- Tactile 4
- The Last One Standing 5
- The Traps We Made 4.5
- Kill Your Darlings 5
- Iris 2
- Runway 5
- Before This World Ends 4
- Two+1 4
- The Ride 5
- There Must Be A Way 3
- The Fixer 4.5
- Once Surrounded 4
1. In This Place Forever
Release: 1996
Overall Rating: 4.4 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Involved, Last Breath Of You, I Only Wanted To, You Didn't Want Me, I Don't Think They Know, Something Wrong, Shatters, Confined
Weak tracks: Envolved
On the first place the circle closes with my opening text 'How I discovered Mesh and how visualisation matters'. The fascination of the album 'In This Place Forever' remains unbroken after more than 25 years. The debut album has aged very well in terms of sound and doesn't have the typical 90s synth pop sound. It is simply timelessly brilliant! Not without reason and completely deservedly, the album made it into our article '20 Synth Pop milestones and collection must-haves'. If you came across here and don't know that album I absolutely recommend you to listen to the album 'In This Place Forever' on Spotify now.
I think it might be important to mention that I'm generally not a fan of harsh guitars and heavy sounds. But these are an integral part of the Mesh sound and are still very pronounced on 'In This Place Forever'. But Mesh create a perfect balance here. Yes, there are heavy guitars in the sound, but the synth pop factor is not completely negatively influenced by it. Some songs I would more or less classify in the genre electro rock, but the mixture is always extremely harmonious with the obligatory dark undertones.
- Involved 5
- Last Breath Of You 5
- I Only Wanted To 4
- You Didn't Want Me 5
- I Don't Think They Know 5
- Evolved 2
- Something Wrong 5
- Shatters 5
- Despised 3
- Confined 5
A release worth mentioning
Fragile (Extended)
Release: 1994/1997
Overall Rating: 3.6 ★★★★☆
Great tracks: Headstone, Her Needs, Fragile, State Of Mind, Sympathy, Hurt
Weak tracks: Beaten And Bruised, Untitled
For all die-hard Mesh fans: No, I haven't forgotten 'Fragile'. It's officially listed on Discogs under EPs. The background is quickly explained. The EP 'Fragile' was released in 1994 with only 6 tracks. After the debut success of the album 'In This Place Forever', it was re-released a year later, in 1997, as 'Fragile (Extended)'.
This time in album length with a total of 10 songs (2 songs are "hidden tracks"). In my opinion, the song 'Untitled' is more of an extended bridge to the actually hidden song 'So Important'. Definitely a special case, which is why I don't want to include it in the ranking, but nevertheless made a rating to give you an idea of how it would have scored compared to the regular albums.
- Headstone 4
- Her Needs 4
- Fragile 4.5
- State Of Mind 5
- Sympathy 4
- Beaten And Bruised 2.5
- Hurt 4
- Someone To Believe In 3
- Untitled 2 (hidden track)
- So Important 3 (hidden track)
All Mesh albums in a chart overview
Spotify playlist: The best of Mesh
In the Spotify playlist 'The Best of Mesh' are all songs with 4.5 or 5 stars in the rating. At least when the album is available on Spotify.
What's your opinion?
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