Oh Mercy - Great Barrier Grief (29/03/2011)
Oh Mercy - Great Barrier Grief
Oh Mercy’s
growth from school function gigs to supporting the likes of Tame Impala, The
Temper Trap and Crowded House has been a long, patient journey. Long before
Triple J got wind of this four piece, lead vocalist Alexander Gow was three years above me at school and his musical pet project, Oh
Mercy, would do the rounds on school fliers and fundraisers.
While we all saw great things for the band when they performed, no one could have truly guessed that they would become one of the most popular Australian acts on the music scene today. Even Paul Kelly himself is a fan, describing the album as like; “sailing on a beautiful boat on a calm blue sea under a cloudless sky. Only there’s a shadow moving under the water.”
While the band work as ensemble piece, it is Gow who commands each song with somber direction. Keith St epitomizes this; Gow knows exactly how each piece is supposed to feel and the waves of emotions that the listener should be feeling. Stripped back, bare and exposed at the best of times, it’s a very personal release, but still allows us to be a part of its intricate web of desire, melancholy and romance, portrayed through Mercy Valley, Stay, Please Stay and Let Me Go. It reminds us of simple pleasures in life; perhaps even a soundtrack to the changing of the season, being in love, the grieving process of a broken heart and understanding why life takes it’s twists and turns.
The confidence exhibited within the release is engaging and without fault. The band know what they wish for with each piece, Confessions and Blue Lagoon being highlights, giving hints of rock and roll within the folk driven style. It’s with the finale Doldrums where Great Barrier Grief slowly washes back like the tides retreating.
Great Barrier Grief might just become one of the great albums of 2011. While not too ambitious, it’s polished and perfected like a smooth stone washed down by the water of the barrier reef. Whereas previous album Privileged Woes felt like it held back potential, Great Barrier Grief is Oh Mercy matured, confident and ready to serenade the hearts of the nation.
Luke Sutton
While we all saw great things for the band when they performed, no one could have truly guessed that they would become one of the most popular Australian acts on the music scene today. Even Paul Kelly himself is a fan, describing the album as like; “sailing on a beautiful boat on a calm blue sea under a cloudless sky. Only there’s a shadow moving under the water.”
While the band work as ensemble piece, it is Gow who commands each song with somber direction. Keith St epitomizes this; Gow knows exactly how each piece is supposed to feel and the waves of emotions that the listener should be feeling. Stripped back, bare and exposed at the best of times, it’s a very personal release, but still allows us to be a part of its intricate web of desire, melancholy and romance, portrayed through Mercy Valley, Stay, Please Stay and Let Me Go. It reminds us of simple pleasures in life; perhaps even a soundtrack to the changing of the season, being in love, the grieving process of a broken heart and understanding why life takes it’s twists and turns.
The confidence exhibited within the release is engaging and without fault. The band know what they wish for with each piece, Confessions and Blue Lagoon being highlights, giving hints of rock and roll within the folk driven style. It’s with the finale Doldrums where Great Barrier Grief slowly washes back like the tides retreating.
Great Barrier Grief might just become one of the great albums of 2011. While not too ambitious, it’s polished and perfected like a smooth stone washed down by the water of the barrier reef. Whereas previous album Privileged Woes felt like it held back potential, Great Barrier Grief is Oh Mercy matured, confident and ready to serenade the hearts of the nation.
Luke Sutton