 The
Mercury Stars
"Catastrophe is No Cause For Alarm" CD
Self-released
Genres: indie rock
Mar 14 - 20 2005 |
This limited edition release offers a seven-song glimpse of The
Mercury Stars, an NYC-based indie rock act with an eye for
passionate, structurally-unconventional songs. There are six
originals here, as well as a version of Echo and the Bunnymen's
"The Killing Moon"; the band's own songs are dark and
gradual, requiring multiple listens to fully "bloom" and
show off their true catchiness, while the cover is relatively standard
fare. "Just Below The Surface Lies Something Thicker Than
Water" is an exemplary Mercury Stars track; it is an
emotional, dramatic song that seems to combine emo with equal parts Low
and The Decemberists. The brooding "They Don't
Know" is one of the better tracks, but it's the opening song,
"There's Continual Safety In Numbers," that takes the cake;
its rolling, almost invigorating sound has a really nice vibe to
it. Overall, some of this record falls a bit flat, but The
Mercury Stars seem to have the sound and style to make things work
in the future. If their songs were just a bit catchier, this
band could be a force to be reckoned with.
79%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
7 tracks, distributed by the
band, released 2004] |
