http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/indiepop-influence-apparent/2006/06/19/1150701478461.html
Indie-pop influence apparent Andrew Murfett, Reviewer June 20, 2006
REVIEW
When an Australian band is rumoured to have signed a seven-figure contract with a major label, it's natural that Melbourne's insular indie-rock community would be eager to assess its merits - particularly if the act hails from Sydney.
Managed by former You Am I manager Todd Wagstaff, the callow rock quartet Mercy Arms has already showcased to international labels in the US and was understood to be the subject of a bidding war.
Having been exposed to that sort of pressure, a show in which the band appeared second on the bill in the modestly sized front room of Revolver should be a piece of cake, right?
The sceptical (and somewhat parochial) audience boasted a smattering of music journalists, local promoters, record company scouts and curious punters.
Mercy Arms already retains a page on myspace.com, and those attending on Friday night were able to listen to the three tracks posted online before the show.
Openly demonstrating its early-1980s indie-pop influences, Mercy Arms ranged between solid, impressive and underwhelming.
Tellingly, sullen-faced frontman Thom (last names are optional at this stage) did not condescend to actually speak to the audience.
The band boasts a widescreen-type sound that bodes well for when it finally gets into the studio with an A-list producer.
holy moley.
i expected nothing more positive really. any band signing big dollar deals has got to be crap. as BIG $ = commercial potential = crap (99% of the time). i think capital records may have missed te boat on the 80s sound tho. good luck to em.
i dunno. i think mercy arms are pretty orright; kirin is an interesting guitarist and thom's upper registry is strong.
but they're not signed to capitol as far as i'm aware...still showcasing i believe.
it'll be interesting to see how they go on friday at the dale sandwiched between grafton primary and midnight juggernauts.
i heard $2.5M to capital, done deal. if i'm wrong and am spreading misinformation, i apoligise, just passing on what i heard.
ive not seen em
where'd you hear that?
last one i heard was $2m to universal, but i was immediately told it wasn't the case.
some label guy. who knows then. time will tell.
I heard $8m to Rubber Records!
Not really, will try to catch the 2nd half of their set at the Dungen gig to see what they're like. Not expecting much.
they're playing with dungen? that's an odd combination.
I saw their first gig, and i'll probably see them tomorrow night. They are getting talked up pretty hardcore aren't they. I bet you a band member started the 7 figure sum rumour though.
i saw that revolver show and i liked them. they looked incredibly young too
I love how there's only three pars about what they sounded (or even looked) like.
Incidentally, I think the Murf is wrong - no deal at this stage is my understanding. Could be wrong, though.
interesting, interesting.
andrew simply says they're the subject of a bidding war...no doubting there.
which show was that rev? the speccers one??
the melb show at revolver with tank and kamikaze trio.. it's where the age writer was cos i spoke to him
ah, sorry, i meant digital...
what did you like about em?
77 on a Wednesday.
It was only their first gig, and i must have been some time ago. I remember enjoying the sound they were making though, it would be good to see if/how anything has changed.
i think i saw their next show at spectrum.
they've improved a lot since then.
I thought they were a bit of alright @ the Revolver gig.
Anyone who bought the first Franz Ferdinand album, but thought the 2nd one was too samey will be excited about these guys.
I saw em at 161. They were O.K I suppose although they couldnt hold my attention for more than 1 song, but they could be alright background music for sportsgirl ad's or something.
They did however (shock horor!!!) sound exactly like everybody else at the moment. For those who havent heard them just picture in your mind what you think they should sound/look like and you will pretty much be right on the money.
Then again Im just an old sullen cunt.
The End.
They have the hair and the sound, but no songs at this point.
i like that song "say what you say". "shot right down" is good too, but the intro needs a trim.
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HOW CAN PEOPLE BE FINDING THIS RECORD UNINSPIRING?
The Mercy Arms record is just brilliant. They do the drone-shoegaze 4AD pop thing better than anyone in Australia, including the Morning After Girls.
I am so shattered that Triple J are not supporting them.
it is strange that kingsmill hasn't got behind them. you'd think they'd be right up his alley.
Mercy Arms is the JJJ feature album next week, so that qualifies as support I guess.
well, there ya go.
It's really very good, IMHO.
Some cunce will hate it, but as an unabashed fan of the genre for most of my youth, they won me over from the first bar of 'Down Here, So Long'.
Haven't seen ANY reviews for it though ... apart from Dom Alessio's rave on The Vine ... obviously Lowercase has and they aren't good.
I concur with the American Ninja. It's really very good.
I WAS WAITING FOR YOUR OPINION FOR FUCKING AGES MATHIESON.
Thanks, awesome.
Can't get over 'Footsteps' and 'Caroline' at the moment.
Your review in The Age this week, Matho ?
I might buy it for the first time in ages then ...
The Tony's (Cohen and Espie) did a great job with this.
The bass on 'Footsteps', which just sounds like a mike was pushed in front of an amp running a Sovtek Big Muff on 11, widens the anal wall quite spectacularly when listened to on good speakers.
It's such a guitar-lovers record.
Surprising lack of credits for some work on the record though - who's playing piano ? Who's playing some of the strings on the ballads ?
Hmmm … I have no idea what the hell I’m talking about in that last post.
It’s definitely not the bass in ‘Footsteps’ which is run clean the whole way through – maybe, the second half of Caroline ?
I think they treat the bass on that track … God, I’ve really confused myself because I have no idea which track I actually meant.
Best part – the bass is run pretty clean THE WHOLE ALBUM THROUGH. God knows what I meant.
Great record!
I can't stop listening to this album. Beautiful songs and production, and a really impressive first album.
Getting virtually no radio support or promo. What the fuck?
it really is very strange.
such a good record.
mathieson says:
Actually, the review is credited to Craig Matherson. Promising critic, whoever he is.
i bought the kept low EP because i loved the single, but found the rest of that set a bit of a struggle
how does this one compare to that?
the ep's got nothing on the album. the album's a rock solid listen from start to finish, like all good albums should be. the production's brilliant and i don't think there's a dud track on it (shine a light down included).
the ep's just a collection of songs, though I'm quite partial to uptown address and shot right down which aren't on the album.
I quite like listening to both the album and ep on the old iPod on random. It's great like that!
Once upon a time they had an endless supply too. How quickly things change.
not really. about 3 years btw the hype and the debut finally coming out.
3 years since they got signed and dropped? time flies pretty fast I guess.