Mystery Jets

The Mystery Jets are one of those bands that are just downright interesting. Hailing from the tiny Eel Pie Island in London (population 120 people), they feature a father and son amongst their members, and their adoration of Syd Barrett, King Crimson and their ilk led to a entertaining debut. But since then, they've been better on paper than in practise, and that trend continues with their third album. Serotonin, their first record for new label Rough Trade, is a mixed bag. It does, thankfully, reinstate some of their early quirk, but veteran producer Chris Thomas smoothes off the rough edges to create something that sounds at least a couple of decades old. While that works on the daffy "Flash A Hungry Smile," with its kazoos and whistles, too many songs drift along on a wave of ordinariness, like the instantly forgettable "Melt" and "Lorna Doone." And that's the frustrating thing about Serotonin: every high is matched by a low, with the majority of the second half of the album falling into the latter category. The band might possess a level of confidence they haven't in the past, and there's some really good pop songs that are like the best moments of the Coral crossed with classic '80s Squeeze, but too many of their grandest ideas fall short of what they should be ― again.