Vandaveer
The Wild Mercury
Reviewed by: Geno Thackara
It sounds like the members of Vandaveer have been through a lot lately. Whatever’s been happening for the last couple years, it’s apparently left Mark Charles Heidinger and friends feeling jaded but happy. They don’t spell out the details, and that’s not the important thing anyway. On The Wild Mercury they’re more concerned with taking stock and looking ahead down the open road. It’s all done with a helping of easy-loping country folk that’s just too nice and heartfelt to be a downer.
It’s right on display in the opening single “Enough On That for Now,” which best shows off the album’s mix of philosophical thoughts and pleasant singability. “Life is such a temporary thing, such a temporary thing / it is absolutely cruel and beautiful,” Heidinger muses as the song begins to build. He sounds likable enough on his own with his clear high voice and light Southern twang, but it really takes off once Rosie Guerin steps in to back him up. The two of them work simple wonders together and their sweet harmonies make the album’s biggest delight.
If the rest of The Wild Mercury doesn’t quite reach that same peak, it generally stays close. There’s some simple wisdom in lines like “I gotta be strong enough to be wrong” or “Love is melancholy but it’s all we’ve got.” The weight of real life is always there, but it isn’t heavy enough to impose too much on the optimistic tone and aw-shucks charm. The songs coast on rustic down-home guitar strums. The melodies are consistently tuneful and breezy. Even “you deserve to be first in line for the guillotine” manages to sound almost jaunty.
Vandaveer sounds happy to be on the ride and confident in being able to deal with whatever’s coming. Heidinger handily sums up midway through that he’s “a little worse for the wear / but I’m still standing.” More importantly, they’re still smiling too.
Rating: Charming
