At first glance Mercuryhat had a very fresh sound to it. But upon closer inspection, the result of listening to the first full track, Hovercraft, it sounded as if the band was more REM than Mercuryhat. I liked it, but I could not escape the idea I was listening to someone who sounded like someone else. It would have been different if they were covering one of REM’s tunes but this was not the case. It’s okay to be influenced by a band. Hell, The Beatles were influenced by Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Buddy Holly. However, they were able to create their own identity. I do not believe anyone would or could argue that point.

The third cut on the record is Hurricane Tree. This tune fares much better than its predecessor, and is a finely written, well constructed song about someone trying to escape the pain they have been through following a broken relationship. The softly picked lead guitar played by Steve Wilt, adds to the melancholy mood of the song. Even though the song is about the pain of a broken relationship, it does not dwell on doom and gloom. Instead, it focuses on hope, as the words continue repeating in the chorus, “But I keep on holding on”. Towards the end of the tune it takes off in an entirely different direction presenting the listener with a very trippy sound evoked in the electronically enhanced lyrics, “I could have used you as a friend/I could have loved you better then/I could have used as a friend and could have loved you better then”, leaving us with a feeling of reflection and remorse at some of the things the storyteller could have done differently to have made the damaged relationship a better one. But it’s all too late.

On Memo To Self the band had at last achieved their individuality. This is the song I was waiting for. It possessed all of the influences of the musicians they stated in their bio had influenced them, but it was all their own. Mercuryhat, with Memo To Self, have found who they are. Eric Ott’s vocals were amazing and Steve Wilt again adds his obvious expertise to the song with his blues sounding guitar. Towards the end of the tune the band completely abandons the soft approach experienced in the first two-thirds of the song, and let loose with some rocking guitar riffs lead in by some impressive bass guitar playing. It all comes together and propels us to an amazing crescendo that will leave you astounded at what you just heard.  On this particular tune the band excels to the level I had come to expect from them after reading their bio. Finally, I believe we had what Mercuryhat should be.

Overall, I would say this is a decent record. There are actually glimpses of pure genius. Steve Wilt’s guitar is masterful on songs such as Barrington, Memo To Self, and others, but I believe the band as a whole, needs to discover who they truly are. Do they want to sound like someone else or do they want to be influenced? There is a difference and I believe they are very close to discovering what that difference is.

Reviewed By Rod Ames

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