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Mercuryhat: Blinding Blues, Stinging Bees
by Justin Shatwell
While not actually a blues album, Mercuryhat's Blinding Blues, Stinging Bees serves the same purpose. Composed by lead singer Eric Ott during a death-and-divorce-plagued period, the record treads into some pretty dark areas. Lonely nights, second thoughts, and sleeping pills are the common images that tie these songs together.
But Mercuryhat's sound isn't indulgent or self-pitying at all--in fact it's pretty upbeat at times--and this is what makes it comforting. The Blues, after all, are not about whining. They're about acknowledging matter-of-factly that the world is an unfair place and all you can do is move on.
Based out of Portsmouth, NH, Mercuryhat is an alt. country band that's been heavily influenced by REM. The cowboy chords and honky-tonk rhythms that dominate these tracks are fairly subdued, echoing the subject matter. Likewise, Ott's vocals rarely reach for the rafters or drag you through the mud.
The band hums along at a steady clip and they really sell their message. They have the somber sound of a group of guys who've been there and lived to talk about it. This is one of those albums you put on when you need to be reminded that other people have gotten through whatever it is that's weighing you down--ideal companionship for when you don't particularly want any company.
CD's available at CD Baby.Barrington
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