Mercedes: "The Wavelength E.P." 5/5 Stars
Truth be told, I am having a difficult time getting excited when I'm looking at pre-orders on iTunes lately. It isn't always even that the music coming out is bad, but too much of it has already been done. The market understandably leans toward specific styles that are popular, but it also means that once the current fad takes hold the market becomes over saturated until the public gets tired and moves on. This is natural progression, and also how supply and demand can get flipped on its head because there is no shortage of the item. I went out looking to see what was new the other night and based the search on what had the most orders. It took no time at all for me to find that a lot of the list was populated by rap and dance music primarily, and that despite the countless number of band names the majority all sounded like they were done by the same person. "Well this is no good", I thought. If I can review several pages worth of music in a single paragraph due to similarity, there is a problem here. So my solution? I reversed the list in an attempt to actually find something different that may have slipped under the public radar, and thanks to that, I found it.
"The Wavelength EP", by Mercedes (Not the rapper, no matter what iTunes claims) is one of those rare gems I find that could have released any time in the last 40 years or so and found success in any of the decades. The album feels refreshingly "old-school" while still having a sound that can translate well now. Not full on rock but not really pop or jazz either, the best description I can give of genre is actually "Coffee Shop". Not the whole over commercialized Starbucks on every corner, but the genuine mom and pop style shops or local pubs. You can go in there and you're family. Sit down on the couch and enjoy your drink while the local talent (Mercedes), enhance the atmosphere. I found myself put in a really pleasant mood by the band's overall tone and "live" sound. There is just something incredibly relaxing about the album, where I could easily go to sleep listening to it if I wanted, which is not to say that the music puts me to sleep. Rather, it just has that kind of blissfully peaceful quality that so much of today's music is sorely lacking. As with many EP's my major issue is just that I'd like to hear more, but I can get by for now by just looping it. I look forward to hearing more from this band, although I've had an incredibly difficult time finding out anything about the band themselves, other than the fact that they are located somewhere around Hartlepool in the United Kingdom. If anyone has more information than that I'd be interested to hear it. Well done Mercedes, I look forward to your future works (and past if I ever locate them).
iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-wavelength-ep/id543409259
Tracklist:
1. Here Comes The Day
2. Not Enough
3. Wake Up Call
4. Saccarin
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