The Mercury Four "Codename: AURORA" 2007

Bringing you boiling hot instrumental rock since 1998. The Mercury Four features former members of The Deep End and The Splashdowns, two of Seattles finest instrumental bands. They pay homage to the surf rock of old like the Ventures, Shadows, & Trashmen but are firmly rooted in the 21st Century.I was driving when I first heard "Stratoliner Down" played live on Seattle's KEXP 90.3FM and stayed in the car until the song was done and the band/title announced. Mercury 4 sounds very much in the spirit of great 60's surf music, and I agree with their liner notes the and is rooted in the 21st-century. There is a bit of a neo-cocktail lounge feel to some of the tracks, which marries well with their brand of surf music. The only thing I don't like on this CD is the level of tension in the music itself. Tension in 60's surf is about thrill, like riding a big wave or drag racing - good times-kinda tension. Tension on "Codename: Aurora" sounds more angst-ridden, as if too much time was spent on concrete pavement instead of sand. Surf music is usually great for unwinding, and that's the one area where this release falls short. Otherwise it's a solid effort and a worthy standard-bearer for a great genre. - author: ScottThe Mercury Four:
Chip Doring - Guitar / Jim Sadler - Keys/Guitar / Marshall Scott Warner - Drums / Natalie K. Parks - Bass

trax:
01 Stratoliner Down 02 911 03 A Quick Creepy 04 Atomic Spider Bite 05 Commie Rat Stomp 06 Alki Surf 07 Jicketts Speed Shop 08 Casa De Carne 09 Code Name Aurora 10 Lazarus Goes Back To Work 11 Sonic Reducer 12 Jimbolero 13 Pocket Full of Dimes 14 El Gravitron