Sea Of Tranquility



The Web Source for Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal & Jazz-Fusion
  Search   in       
Main Menu




Mercury: Just The Beginning

Mercury's performs its music in a gritty style that is modeled after the best of 1990s Seattle. In fact the opening notes of "Mellow Song" are almost lifted straight from Nirvana, leaving no doubt about the source of the band's inspiration. It is a straightforward, linear, non-progressive sound that is emulated by garage bands across America, but the production, the performances and packaging elevate Mercury out of the garage band status, and into the ranks of talented indies waiting for their break.

As the title suggests Just The Beginning is a 20 minute demo EP - and it really represents the very beginning because Mercury comprises four Maryland artists aged between just 14 and 18. The singer, who is trained in violin and guitar but doesn't employ those skills here, has a rich timbre and a strong, granular tone. Pitch control needs attention but it's an expressive delivery that will catch your attention. Lucky - because almost the whole album is very vocals-oriented. The guitar work is clean, then in sections it features deep distortion punctuated by the odd wail of a pinched string, then often goes abruptly back to clean, bass-strings.

"Breathe" features subtle tempo shifts between verse & chorus, and the frantic tapped out lead guitar solo in "2 Seconds" shows a raw talent that will be ready for prime time with a little more refinement. Opener "Waste" starts with a simple bass string motif, then enter the vocals and we have Cameron channeling a younger incarnation of Cobain. In fact 5 of the 6 songs start with a simple line played on the lead guitar's bass strings - or on the bass - and therein lies the challenge Mercury will want to address in their next release: There's no questioning their talent - now they need to reach beyond the safe formula on Just The Beginning, stretch their songwriting capabilities, and throw a bit more imagination into the mix.

But they're young, and this is just the beginning. It's going to be a blast watching these guys bloom into a full-featured grungy / hard-rock / hopefully progressive outfit that just may step on a few well-placed toes.

Track Listing:

  1. Waste (4:15)
  2. Breathe (3:10)
  3. Changed (2:12)
  4. The Mellow Song (3:18)
  5. 2 Seconds (3:42)
  6. Find A Way (3:32)

Added: March 19th 2006
Reviewer: Duncan Glenday
Score:
Related Link: Mercury's MySpace Site (Web Site Coming Soon)
Hits: 2398
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend Send to a Friend ]

  

[ Back to the Reviews Index ]



© 2004 Sea Of Tranquility
For information regarding where to send CD promos and advertising, please see our FAQ page.
If you have questions or comments, please Contact Us.
Please see our Policies Page for Site Usage, Privacy, and Copyright Policies.

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters, all other content © Sea of Tranquility

SoT is Hosted by SpeedSoft.com