Mercury Uncovered Demo Review

Mercury Uncovered is a "bitch house sad wave" band from Pittsburgh, PA; you could also probably use terms such as no-wave, post-punk, experimental, electronic, darkwave, or some other things like that. Being outside neat categories is cooler. The band consists of Kallen, on electronics/laptop, Kristine, on drums, and Rin, on vocals. They only played their first show in April, and I attended and reviewed the second show. Despite the recent formation of Mercury Uncovered, they are soon to release a full-length album! That's awesome! Call me cynical or mean or whatever, but I'm so sick of bands that don't take themselves seriously and just putz around.


Since the full-length is not yet out, let's talk about this demo of live tracks. Right off the bat, this is awesome; I think recorded music should reflect the live sound of band. I am not a big fan of overdubs or studio trickery, though it can work well.

The cover of the demo EP is an interesting collage of images. I don't know if it has any particular meaning to members of the band, though every time I look at that bear, I chuckle a little bit. I like the gritty look, and even the font is decent, which I can't say for a lot of stuff.

The demo EP consists of three short tracks: the hallucinatory speedway "Are We in Colors", the funeral sounds of "Dreamspace", and the whirlwind dance of "Practice". "Are We in Colors" works well as the first track here; it sucks the listener into another world. Compared to the other two, this is a much faster song, and it has a druggy, cyberpunk feel to it that reminds me of films such as Red Cockroaches and Akira. The lyrics don't use a standard sort of metre or rhymes (I am also not an expert though), but it works! Usually I do like more conventional lyrics, and I think that these are a little weird. They keep drawing me in! I really like that this track is more linear instead of circular, as most songs are. There is a powerful refrain, but it doesn't occur after each verse. "Dreamspace" is my least favorite of the three, but I do still like the song. The vocals are a little low in the mix, even more so than the other tracks, and the music is less interesting. I think that this is intended based on the name and the dark tone of the lyrics, which are a little bit awkward. The final track, "Practice", is surely my favorite. The chanted vocals and dance/disco beat remind me of Sonic Youth's "Protect Me You" or Harry Pussy. I really connected to everything on this last one.

If you are able to, check out Mercury Uncovered on tour this winter into next year. They are touring with friends Het Ward (hardcore) and nØthing (noise). The album will be coming out soon too. If the demo, and their live shows, are an indicator of what's to come, I am very excited!