Oh Mercy - Seemed Like A Good Idea (Single)
» Hungary Kids of Hungary/ Oh Mercy co-headline - May 21, 2009
» NYE at The Espy - Esplanade Hotel, The, Vic - December 31, 2009
» Oh Mercy - Oxford Art Factory, NSW - October 23, 2009
One of the hardest things for a young band to learn these days is that it's not so much grabbing people's attention that's the hard part anymore – it's holding it. The music industry is full of bands that jump out and grab your attention for five minutes but the true test of success nowadays is wether or not a band can stick around for longer than one single. When Oh Mercy won a coveted set at the Melbourne Big Day Out a few years back, they grabbed people's attention. Now that their debut longplayer is on the way, we get to see if their good enough to hold our attention.
Judging from this first single, I don't much like their chances. This song is light and fluffy pop by numbers. Gow and Savage know how to write a hook but that's all this song is- a couple of hooks and some saccharine vocals. When you listen to a track and the only part that really stands out is the quality of the recording, well, let's just say it's not a good thing. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad song. The problem is it's not a good song either. It's stranded inbetween. At no stage does the band try and pick up the energy and really drive the song home. It just canters along for three minutes and fades out. Personally I believe mediocrity is worse than being outright bad, bands that suck are usually trying a whole lot harder than bands that are middle of the road.
Hopefully we get something with a little more substance on the forthcoming album.
