I have always appreciated theatrical aspects on albums, and more often than not, search for tracks that can (possibly) contribute to scenes and even dance numbers. Though I am not a dancer, nor a director – music is an integral part of the theatre, setting the mood and leading our emotions into either the light or the dark. Mercies, a band from the woods of Connecticut, have taken their music to a completely different place, a world comprised of both tragedy and comedy in their EP, The Ballet.
The album begins with a dismal track, “Music for a Ballet: Light,” followed by its paradox, “Music for a Ballet: Dark.” The difference between these two tracks are heavily weighed by one distinct element, tone. “Music for a Ballet: Dark,” is ironically more rhythmic, carrying with it a sense of optimism in its percussion. Its counterpart, “Music for a Ballet: Light,” relies more on a piano riff, easing the listener into an angelic trance, leaving one feeling comfortably bleak on the inside. Both pieces, in actuality, are scores which were composed for The Charlottesville Ballet, yet, I do not think this bit of information detracts from the compelling artistry in “Light” and “Dark.” If anything, it is truly admirable to see that a band is willing to step out of its comfort zone and write for a production that is unlike anything they have experimented with before.
The other tracks on the EP are as equally captivating with lyrics that chill the bones warm.
“In Your Mind,” is a track that sounds like the backdrop of a prom – teenage-parking-lot love with a promise of forever. My feet felt as though they were shuffling through streamers and spilled glasses of punch, while my mind remained in a search to rid of the one who was embedded into “the darkest corners of [my] mind.” Though like other tracks on the EP, therein remains a tone of the beautiful dreariness. However, “Clouds,” took the listener to a softer place, quite possibly heaven, or maybe somewhere farther and beyond. And while it seemed our destination was finally set, Mercies teetered us back into the world of the unknown because who knows, “where…we go when we meet in the sky?”
“Take You Away,” reminds me of former Los Angeles indie band, Castledoor . While in Castledoor’s, “Remember When,” reflects on the power of memories and the nostalgia they evoke, “Take You Away,” is a getaway car for the soul. The road ahead is uncertain, but there are companions written into the harmonies, reassuring your most troubling anxieties, “…cause this time you’re going, you’re going far away.”
The Ballet is set to pirouette into your ears March 27th and I highly recommend premiere seating for this event.
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