There is a whole pandemic splitting the twin release dates for the Taylor Young Band album MERCURY TRANSIT. The seismic month of March 2020 saw it hit the stores in the US, and after a lengthy wait of eighteen months Europe gets it bow as October brings its shortening days. The irony of these spring and autumn references is that the whole feel of this album is its summer vibes and feel good warmth. Not necessarily a bad thing when things start to cool down.
Although it didn't immediately twig, Taylor Young is a member of The O's. A Texan band that crossed my path in early 2014 when getting acquainted with their acoustically driven album THUNDERDOG. While a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since, the biggest shift when comparing releases is the extent to which the new one is tuned into the whims of the electric guitar, and in particular the jingle jangle version that spawned from the mid to late sixties and flavoured a power pop movement that seems to eternally spring up in popular music. A sound that does frequently link bands from the UK and US.
MERCURY TRANSIT to the crux is a short, sharp and sweet album using its infectious hooks and melodies to create a most desirable positive environment. There is a string of familiarity and consistency in the ten tracks that do switch occasionally in tone and pace but never lose sight of the chiselled groove created by a band driven by an iconic sound.
When seeking a standout moment, a tough task ensues with 'Blue Eyed' from the first half edging out in front on the basis of epitomising the sound sought. Its strongest challenger emerges in the final furlong where a distinctive country flirtation adorns the track 'Drinkin'', and not just in the title. It also cements a slightly tenuous link of jangle pop threading a sixties origin through a late seventies new wave revival and cropping up in loads of bands deemed alt-country.
If the European release achieves its aim then MERCURY TRANSIT will definitely be an album of two lives with enough punch to take advantage of such an opportunity. The Taylor Young connection has been endearing as it prompted a listen back to 2014 and check the evolution of an artist. The new album receives full approval here and maybe it won't be another seven year gap between checking out the works of an artist involving themselves in such fine projects.
