19 June 2007
The Mercury Program & Maserati - “Confines of Heat” Review
It’s no secret that I love the Mercury Program. Their 2004 album “A Data Learn the Language” brought a surprising intelligence to what could have just been droning repetition. Lush, beautifully-recorded orchestration, the use of vibes as a melodic center, and intensely geometric (there’s no better word) song structures all led to an atmosphere of unusually vivid texture. Sadly, there’s not much work by the band to be had, and I resigned myself to the expectation that perhaps they, like most bands I enjoy, had already come and gone before I found them.
Enter this 6-track, two-band EP. I’d never heard of Maserati before, but their contributions to this disc are both arresting and moving, forming a virtually flawless collection of tunes. Similarly, the Mercury Program seem to have enhanced their signature sound in this EP, bringing a richer and more sensitive dynamic to their playing. The vibes are not as harsh, the drums are not as predictable, the melodies are simultaneously more emotional and more intriguing, and above all, it’s new music from the Mercury Program! As a friend of mine would say, “when am I not ready to dance?”
In keeping with the grandiose post-rock tradition of titles that are either absurdly long or simply absurd, here we have the strange “Wires Were Towers”, “You Give Me Problems About My Business”, and “Closer Than You Know How”. The first of those is definitely the best track on the disc, and surprisingly, it’s by these new upstarts, Maserati. (You can bet I’ll be looking for their work in the future!) Adding a bass to their predecessors’ vibes-based lineup seems like an obvious choice, but the superb sonic detail it affords Maserati is something magnificent. The track positively envelops you with sound, in waves that seem to continually push, pull and swirl in unexpected ways. Steve Reich-inspired (but what isn’t?) melody lines drip with delay, coursing like electric veins beneath the humming subsonics of drums and bass; entire cities seem to rise from the ground and give way just as easily beneath the blurry, rain-slicked notes.
Here is a collection of soaring, spiralling movements that can take you away from your day-to-day life within moments; at times relaxing, at times almost furious, it’s a strangely lonely journey you’ll be happy to make again and again. However, I’m somewhat disappointed in the quality of the Mercury Program’s third track, “Crusading (Theme)”, due to its simplicity and comparative lack of anything very provocative. It’s also the shortest piece on the disc, at 4:45, and while it’s by no means a terrible track, it lacks the virtuosity usually found in their work (and on the rest of the EP). It’s quiet and relaxing, but offers little in the way of innovation.
With internet music stores now the norm, it makes sense to purchase an album like this a la carte, if possible. I highly recommend every track here besides “Crusading”, with a particular nod towards “Wires Were Towers”.
“Confines of Heat” runs 36 minutes.
It doesn’t look like this is on iTunes (another track by Maserati called “Towers Were Wires” is completely different…). Try eMusic - that’s where I got the EP.
My Rating: 8/10
