Serotonin is
Mystery Jets' third album for a third record label yet, a fact that speaks volumes about the difficulty the band seems to have in finding its path. Even if they remain hugely talented and each of their records is impeccably realized, one cannot help but feel that
Mystery Jets may still be looking for their place in the world, both artistically and commercially. Legendary producer
Chris Thomas is brought on board to reshuffle the deck, which seems a smart move considering that
Mystery Jets are -- as many bands of their time -- musical chameleons with an encyclopedic obsession with pop history.
Thomas has famously worked with
Badfinger,
Elton John,
Roxy Music, and
Pink Floyd, to name but a few, and
Mystery Jets dutifully amalgamate all of the above, at one time or another, into the baroque pop of
Serotonin. The result is a record of greater stylistic variety and sophistication than the punchier, instantly likable
Twenty One. If that previous album was chock-full of potential hit singles,
Serotonin is chock-full of ideas, often inside a single track. A case in point is the opener, "Alice Springs," a cinematic roller coaster more reminiscent of the swirling epics of
Arcade Fire than the concise bounciness of
Franz Ferdinand. The swooping "Lady Grey" and "Waiting on a Miracle" are also standouts. Credit goes to
Mystery Jets for rarely sounding here like they're aping specific bands, but for creating a pop mosaic of their own by piling up their influences and crowning it with their signature vocal arrangements -- which, at the end of the day, is what truly sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.
Serotonin may offer less immediate pleasures than
Twenty One, but it promises to reward repeated listening. It also proves that
Mystery Jets are not mere retro revivalists but an eminently noteworthy British indie band restlessly looking for avenues to flex its creative muscle.
–
Mariano Prunes, Rovi