Artist:     Vandaveer

Album:     The Wild Mercury

Label:     MRI

Release Date:     02/19/2016

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The Wild Mercury, the new album from Vandaveer, a folk-based, harmonious band, was penned and put forth by Kentucky-based tunesmith Mark Charles Heidinger… Rose Guerin’s enchanting vocals blend so well with his – like a perfect match – on each track they create together. The band itself gives off Americana vibes, but it’s more than folk and Americana… The band sends listeners off into a calm state of mind with every track they release.

The Wild Mercury has the loveliest harmonies intertwined with such simple lyrics that tell fascinating stories. Each track has a unique and intricate way of telling a story.

Upon listening to the opening track, “But Enough On That For Now,” you can already tell you’re going to love every second of this album. The way the lyrics express life will break your heart, while mending it back together simultaneously: “We dipped our toes into the water to see if we would sink or swim/I see myself in my little boy, the same wherewithal within/life is such a temporary thing/such a temporary thing/it is absolutely cruel and beautiful…”

Each track has its own twist, spin and story. The title track, “The Wild Mercury,” has lyrics that may hit home for many, many people… “We’ve been drowned out, been dammed up, we’ve been blitzed by night/We beg for answers/We pray for proof/We fight for fame, and we bleed for the truth/We all fight and we bleed, and we beg and pray/We bleed, we beg and we pray…” Though the lyrics sound deep and a bit sorrowful, the rhythm and harmonies keep your mood high up in the sky, past the clouds and into the beyond.

“Holding Patterns” is my favorite off the album. The slower harmonies and shallow – yet still strong – vocals reel you in and put you in this outworldly trance – one that feels too good to snap out of. “It feels like a footrace/We’re running right out of time/Barefoot and bloody/Winded and falling behind/We’ve managed many miles/We side-stepped the finish line/Holding hands, holding lines/In holding patterns we designed…” The lyrics – almost like poetry – speak for themselves. This song is a beauty and sends you into euphoria with its wholesomeness.

There’s nothing to compare this album to. It’s such a glorifying experience to just sit in a lightly dimmed room, sipping your favorite beverage and nodding your head to the wonderful melodies and lyrically magical beauty of The Wild Mercury.

-Emilee Gorshe