CD Review: The Anybody’s Let It Damn Well Hurt
Powerful laptops and simpler-to-use mixing/recording software have made it easy for ‘anybody’ to make indie music in the comfort – or discomfort – of their own home. Connor Mercury’s former abode fell into the latter type of home, having recorded his second CD, the full-length Let it Damn Well Hurt, in his ‘windowless basement apartment’ (later a victim to a destructive fire) in Ottawa.
Presumably Mercury chose the name ‘The Anybody” for his musical project due to a lack of a name, or perhaps to satirize the endless desire of indie musicians to have ‘cool’ names. Perhaps he wanted to symbolize the loneliness of making music on your own. Whatever the reason, The Anybody’s music is far from generic; Let It Damn Well Hurt is an impressive and varied second record for Ottawa-based Mercury which shows an artist of many talents who should go far.
All the songs on this CD were written, recorded, produced and mixed by Mercury. Though The Anybody’s live performances feature any number of Ottawa musicians, this recording is uniquely his. In practical terms this means that the CD defies categorization: unlike bands, which often struggle to work on “a” sound or style, Mercury allows himself the creative freedom to move from genre to genre, often within the same song, with ease. Exhibit A: “San Francisco” – a sunny, sing-a-long dedication to a great city and a wonderful trip, which switches midway to Nirvana-style grunge guitar, and back again. “Let It Damn Well Hurt” is anything but predictable.
On the Anybody’s myspace page, the first ‘influence’ is Elliott Smith, and that is apparent from the first listen. From the sound of his voice, to the production and mix, to the loneliness of some of the lyrics, many of these tracks could have easily been out-takes from Smith records. “Basement Blues” is a standout track which will draw Smith comparisons, as do some of the sonic details in many of these songs. Mercury also pushes these songs with subtle or bold touches, like pretty piano, (“Car Crash” and “20 Again”), quirky electronic percussion (“20 Again” and “Hide”), loud guitars (“San Francisco” and the ‘Intro’/'Outro’ tracks (subtitled the existentialist ‘being’ and ‘nothingness’) which feature warm, deep piano melodies interspersed with arena rock guitars), and disturbing voices (“San Francisco” and “Outro (nothingness)”).
Works of art created by a single artist, especially ones based on electronic technology, can sometimes incorporate too many sounds or variations in soundstyles. Let It Damn Well Hurt has a few of these excesses, but they do not detract from the overall cohesiveness of the record. The tracks I like best are rooted in an organic instrument (mostly guitar, which Mercury handles with both grace and power). Many of these tracks draw on Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes style lyricism, vocals and sound: “To Be”, for example, features indie-folk guitar finger-picking and storytelling with lush vocals easily stretched and changed to something a little more anxious and harsh. “Underground” also falls in this category – a standout track which features simple finger picked acoustic guitar interpersed with electric guitar sounds which are heard as both soothing and ominous.
Lyrically the record follows its influences and its title: these are songs mostly of sadness, loss, and regret (even “San Francisco”, which celebrates a great trip to a lovely city, is more about what is missing having left that city). Even the birthplace of the record – Mercury’s old apartment that burned down – is given a farewell in the otherwise sparse liner notes. However, the CD still leaves one with a sense of wonder and hope as Mercury keeps his listeners guessing with the varied styles and moods he employs. OVerall, this is a fine collection of songs from a young artist who has taken a variety of influences and made them into his own unique sound. There is no doubt that Mercury has a wonderful touch with music, and I look forward to hearing him develop.
The Anybody is performing Wednesday night at the venerable Elmdale House Tavern with a full band. $5 to get in; $10 for this CD; and a great music venue – check it out if you can.
Tags: CD Review, Connor Mercury, The Anybody, The Elmdale House Tavern
