Guided by voices

Mercury Quartet give us a reason to love pop again

by Joe Longone

The Mercury Quartet wash over me with a sound that is refreshing and joyous, better than most music I've experienced lately. Featuring a world-class lead singer, this Providence foursome play straightforward pop songs with an enthusiasm that feels alien in an age rich with pain and noise.

Dave Santos had been a closet songwriter, bitten by the pop bug while listening to early 1970s AM radio. But it took the inspiring music of Mark Eitzel and his band the American Music Club to move Santos to pick up a guitar and start crafting his own material for the stage.

In '94, Santos, his roommate Chris Cook, and their friend guitarist Rick Testa formed the Sleepers, but that lasted only until the three found out a band with the same name existed in England. The name and the roommate were dropped, and John Monopoly's Ira Hiller (bass) and Steve Thomas (drums) joined Santos and Testa to form what are now the Mercury Quartet.

Sometimes called the "rock-and-roll rat pack," the four look suave and sophisticated on stage in their vintage suits. If you add Santos's smooth vocal tones with the band's clear and intricate accompaniment, you get a class act -- maybe too good for stages usually covered in spit and beer.

"I've always thought of myself as a crooner. I used to listen to vocal groups like the Bee Gees and get so much enjoyment out of their voices. I see a lack of great vocalists in a lot of today's music," Santos says.

Santos has great vocal range. He hits the falsettos like Lou Christie and masters the lower registers with the integrity of Roy Orbison. Just when you think he's pushing his own abilities he reels himself in with aplomb and grace.

The band's songs, which are written by Santos, are attractive melodies. As if they're ignoring the '90s trend of bitching about every facet of life, the Mercury Quartet sing about love, hope, and happiness, with a romantic eye on the world around them.

"There's never been a hook I didn't like. I wouldn't be happy if I couldn't surround this band with one great pop song after another," Santos says.

Pop lovers can look forward to the Mercury Quartet's debut release later this year. In the meantime, check out these four handsome young men when they perform along with the Free Radicals at Dinny's on Saturday, August 30.

In pursuit

Holden's Holdstrong, one of the area's hard-hitting bands, have returned from a West Coast tour just in time for the release of their new seven-inch EP, Pursuit in the Face of Misfortune (Pin Drop). The four-song offering shows a level of sophistication that was missing from this bunch when they released their debut CD, Nothing in Return, two years ago.

Pursuit starts off with a powerful piece of pop called "Left Outside," which is marred by stupid, if not combative, lyrics that might insult some listeners. What's anyone to expect when lead screamer Chris Berthiaume blasts out, "Who's going to be the one to be pushed aside?" "Instilled" is a nice meshing of old-school hardcore with bad-ass metal, but it appears juvenile with its rants against society and its educational system. The flip side is much better. "Awakening" sounds great with its sonic texturing and creative tempo changes with lyrics ("Who wants to work over the sorrowful ground of old tragedy") coming off as insightful and reflective. "In the Presence of Failure" mixes a hard-edge element with a droning dream-like quality. The lyrics again rise above the cries of the band's usual helpless-victim approach.

Label expands

Arula Records has been Point of Ares's record label for the past three years. Until recently, the label did little more than distribute the Charlton trio's own material. Arula Records is now accepting finished recordings by other artists and is already working with Los Angeles rockers Churchill's Window and new solo artist Robert Griffin (formerly of the Meters). Area artists wishing to submit material should check out Arula's website at http://www.ultranet.com/~ares/arula for more information.

Loner

Worcester's power-punk trio Puddle have just finished recording Loner, their latest album. It will contain 14 new blasts of sonic splendor that should be available early this fall.