Mew - No More Stories... (2009)
Progressive pop is one of those genres where groups tend to completely miss the mark and create unbalanced messes in an attempt to pull in two generally polarized consumer tastes simultaneously....but Mew's latest nails a win on every front, checks all the right boxes while still managing to hook and conquer its prospective audience with a distinctive yet infectious charisma.
But best of all, even the simplest tracks pack more ideas within a four minute time-frame than some bands conjur in an entire lifetime in the recording studio. And for a bloke like me who pays attention, such is rather quite endearing.
Album of the year? Possibly.