Record Review: Merry Pierce - The Warm Aquarium

If you're from America you've probably never heard of Merry Pierce. They are Dutch and last time I checked bands from The Netherlands aren't regularly featured on MTV or US radio. It's really too bad. The Dutch music scene is one of the most dynamic in the world with sounds for every musical taste.

For those of you who liked Grandaddy and wouldn't mind mixing a little Dinosaur Jr. (circa Green Mind) with a few more contemporary pop influences you will be very happy to give Merry Pierce a go.

In 2000 Merry Pierce had a hit debut - Beach Blanket Bingo - full of deep and penetrating pop. Seven years is a long time to wait for an album. The Warm Aquarium has some clever wordplay - especially in "Right 2B Wrong" (If you trick me once I'll trick you twice as good") - but just isn't as good as I know they can consistently be. My favorite three tracks are "Untitled," "Audrey's Dance," and "The Town Where We Used to Live."

"Untitled" begins with some faint film dialogue and a melodic guitar until the magic words "I guess you'll have to stay the night" are spoken. Then the song moves into its own and Merry Pierce fills the sonic landscape with some truly warm and unique sounds. Untitled is the purest "listening" song on the album.

"Audrey's Dance" has guest vocals by Anneke van Giersbergen (formerly of the Gathering, lately of Agua de Annique). This James Bond-y lounge act song drips seduction. If Quentin Tarantino was going to direct a music video this song would be perfect for his special talents. It absolutely reeks of cigarettes and dim lighting. Anneke's voice sounds pure and even after almost eight minutes (by far the longest song on the album) I found myself on more than one occasion hitting repeat. It's a beautiful track and the album is worth buying if only to be able to listen to it.

"The Town Where We Used to Live" starts with a Sophtware Slump homage keyboard loop that leads into a perfect guitar followup. Its the pop-iest song on the record and therefore the catchiest and most drivable. This (and the album on a whole) is a great sunny day driving song, hopefully with the top down.



However, there are ten tracks on the album (really eleven but I don't count the one minute "Interlude Overture") and other then the three mentioned above, none really stand out to my ear. Well, that's not true. I really like listening to "7 Weeks" (with its cool sounding Voltron vocals) and I like the first track, "The Media." Actually I like the premier track a lot, but its not a stand out radio worthy song, its an album song. To me, its job is to set the tone for the rest of the album. It does this job excellently, announcing "Here we are, rising stars. Welcome to the show. Hold on here we go." It's not a single though and I suppose a song that can stand on its own receives my highest rating.

All in all I think this album should be purchased in its entirety. It has what I consider some stand out tracks, but for those of us out there who like the particular sound they fit with, they won't be disappointed by the album, though the seven year wait was a little much.

Bottom Line: Another good Dutch artist that won't be popular in the States. Not necessarily a bad thing, but still.

The Warm Aquarium receives: 3.15

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Note: The Libertine and I employ different rating schemata. I rate individual songs on an album on a scale of 0-5 and then take the average. Here is how I arrived at my rating:

1. The Media: 3
2. The Town Where We Used To Live: 4
3. Kenny Roger's Son: 2.5
4. Right 2B Wrong: 3
5. Easy Come, Easy Go: 2
6. Mount Saint Elsewhere: 3
7. Untitled: 4
8. 7 Weeks: 3
9. Californian Girls: 2
10. Interlude Overture*
11. Audrey's Dance: 5

Total: 31.5/10 = 3.15
(*did not count this track due to its short length)

I believe in the artist's right to album integrity (exemplified by Radiohead’s refusal to release their catalogue for purchase on a track by track basis).

However, not every band is created equal. Same goes for songs. As we all know, some albums have only 1 or 2 good songs. I want to be able to show my readers which tracks are the “stand outs” in case they don’t want to, or can’t afford to, purchase an entire album.

Every rating system is inherently subjective and a number, no matter how it is derived, can't definitively capture whether an album is good, bad, or in the middle. If you don’t agree with my review, I welcome your comments and am open to reconsider my initial views.