Mercy Arms

When I went to see Mercy Arms last Sunday, it was after a long and gradually drift away from their music. Two years ago, I thought they were great. Half Right was a killer track and I was excited to see where they were heading. Unfortunately, apathetic performances, a disappointing EP and a general sense that they were more concerned with their image had begun to turn me off. But I was willing to give them another chance. Hopefully I had been imagining things.

Sadly, their live show did nothing to change my mind. They seemed to go through motions, failing to really capture the audience. Their music may have an experimental nature to it, but that's not an excuse for the lack of connection I felt. Even the songs I knew well failed to have an impact. But it wasn't all bad news. One of the newer songs, where the chorus repeated a girls name (i think it was susana), sounded great and I look forward to hearing it again. But by the same token, another new song, which had Kirin howling and doing spoken word, was just woeful (I'd be quite impressed by his guitar work if he didn't act like such a freak).

Everything good about this band seems to be followed by a 'but'. If only they stopped messing around they might be capable of becoming a great band. I'm yet to hear their new album, though I must admit I'm quite doubtful. The new recording of Half Right is sounding as good as ever, BUT the cover art is atrocious. Lets hope the but stops here.

Half Right

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