Reviewer:Lily Pepper, The McGill Daily
Date:2004-01-09

RYAN MERCER -- Music For Car Commercials (Forged Medical)

These days, if you're a talented young acoustic guitarist with the right kind of frail, melancholy voice, reviewers are going to fall all over themselves comparing you to Nick Drake. Ryan Mercer seems to have taken it upon himself to pre-empt this allusion by calling his debut EP Music for Car Commercials, just as Nick Drake's song "Pink Moon" was used to shill for Volkswagen many years after its singer's death.

Like Nick Drake, Ryan Mercer is adept at expressing vulnerability and pain. But, as we've all noticed, there are a million records out there that are chock-full of of vulnerability and pain. And a lot of them are really, really bad. Mercer, however, stands out from the tortured hordes thanks to, for example, the way his sincere delivery contrasts with his clever, self-deprecating, pop-culture-referencing lyrics. On the strength of this sparse, simple, and witty record, I hope Ryan Mercer sticks around a lot longer than Nick Drake.


Reviewer:Zach Peterson, Rockzillaworld Magazine
Date:2004-01-09

Ryan Mercer -- Music For Car Commercials (Forged Medical Records, Montreal)

Up and coming. Rising star. Wonder boy. Exciting new artist. The only "Holy shit! This kid is great," cliches that don't apply to Ontario's Ryan Mercer are "flavor (or flavour, as Ryan may prefer) of the week" and "new Dylan." This young-20s singer-songwriter has something special and I'm not just saying that.

First off, there are the songs: quirky and gentle but never boring, with lyrics that give reverence to casual observation and offhand reference without trying to be too cute. Secondly, there's the voice, which will leave most listeners asking, "Who's the chick?" But fear not, he's hardly the lead singer from The Darkness or Frankie Valli-Mercer's constant falsetto isn't grating. The vocals, complimented by well-crafted guitar parts, are the most distinct part of this young Canadian's sound.

Put the songs, voice and acoustic guitar together and you have Music for Car Commercials, the debut 5-song EP by Mr. Ryan Mercer. The tempos are mostly upbeat, which should quell tired Nick Drake comparisons. If one must draw parallels, Mercer lies somewhere between Superchunk and Belle and Sebastian.

In "Closer Than We Appear," Mercer muses, "I would love to join the cult of tortured artists drinking whiskey/But I doubt it'd help to clean up my mouth." And there you have it, a new artist who is fragile yet innocent enough to remain smitten by this often puzzling and damning world. Music for Car Commercials should open some doors for this kid and maybe even live up to its title.

www.forgedmedicalrecords.com

Check out this review at: http://www.rockzilla.net/peterson6.html


Reviewer:Dan Bowyer, The Huron Grapevine
Date:2004-01-09

Ryan Mercer -- Music For Car Commercials (Forged Medical Records)

The first release from upstart indie label Forged Medical Records (the brainchild of Huron/Western alumnus David Perri), former Londoner Ryan Mercer's Music For Car Commercials is nothing short of brilliant. Heartfelt, honest and intricate, Mercer's debut EP showcases his passion in the form of five songs. Although comparisons to other "emo" singer-songwriters may abound, Mercer rises above this label for one reason: He's real. While many will burst onto the scene toting a whiny voice and an acoustic guitar, Mercer differs from the majority of these in that his project is not a cash grab, nor is he doing it so that "scene kids" will think he's cool. Check out www.forgedmedicalrecords.com for more information.


Reviewer:Lorraine Carpenter, The Montreal Mirror
Date:2004-01-09

Ryan Mercer Music for Car Commercials (Forged Medical)

Instead of zoom, zoom, zooming over treacherous terrain, this clever castrati takes the pop singer-songwriter path and nearly drives it home.


Reviewer:Dave Clarke, Scene Magazine
Date:2004-01-09

Ryan Mercer - Music For Car Commercials (Forged Medical Records)

Ryan Mercer is a former London resident now based in Toronto. Music For Car Commercials is a lo-fi, five-song EP that features Mercer’s ironic (with a touch of the wiseguy) songwriting and his Vienna Choir Boy-gone-bad vocals. It’s Mercer’s falsetto singing, evocative and fragile at times, that’s just right for the album’s main themes of love and love lost. Check out "A Contract Lion" with its mix of confusion and anger over a broken affair. A pleasant surprise.


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