Mercury 94 - Cry

It’s hard to resist admiration when something weighty and effective gets fashioned from modest materials. Think of Basque cuisine; the charcoal drawings of Rembrandt; the architecture of Mies van der Rohe (who insisted on the simplicity of angular metal and glass over decoration!).

At 2 minutes length, this track feels like a sketch. The percussion: a bass drum and a click. Soft, deliberate keys repeat a minimal pattern - just a handful of notes. And sitting in the middle is Mercury 94's subdued vocal delivery, spoken word in time; as the focal point of the track, your attention is concentrated on his enigmatic poetry:

“Been writing bout misery
What’s frightening is
The happiness
A docile aberration
Of fiery flame
A Pisces in name
When I was crying it was never in shame.”

The vocals are duplicated, the top track pitched up, which introduces a disquieting dramatic element, like Jekyl and Hyde are speaking at once. Behind the voice(s), a trail of mechanically whirring, unimposing distortion. 

It's exciting to see Mercury 94 make so much out of so few ingredients. I have no idea what is next, but whether it is 2 or 10 minutes long, I'm awaiting it expectantly.