“Mercury Said 65” Knows How To Have Fun

The three-piece band Dazy Head Mazy from Minneapolis is well known for their live shows, playing more than 100 a year. They began playing in 1996 and have since produced four albums, with their latest, "Mercury Said 65," available April 7.
   
Dazy Head Mazy claims their live shows to be their best attribute, having shared the stage with the Gin Blossoms and O.A.R, along with others. A constant at the Iowa State Fair, fans have a chance of catching them at Mickey's Irish Pub in Des Moines on April 25 as they tour to promote the new album.
   
The band consists of Will Bauermeister on acoustic guitar and vocals, Eric Moe on bass guitar and Jason Lyles on drums. The style has been likened to the Dave Matthews Band and Hootie and the Blowfish, with a combination of "eye-opening pop" and "soothing melodic vocals."
   
"Mercury Said 65" has a distinct sound that relies heavily on acoustic guitar riffs with a walking bass, which tends to direct the chord changes more than the guitar. Many songs have sections where the guitar drops out and the bass and drums carry the song behind the vocals, which keeps the songs from becoming something you would hear around a campfire.
   
Dazy Head Mazy channels a lot of different sounds in the dozen tracks (plus one hidden track) of "Mercury Said 65." Among those already listed, I found the album as a whole to be a mixture of the   vocal style of Vertical Horizon, Jets to Brazil-esque guitar riffs, low-key drums along the lines of Rush, a dash of harmonica a la Bob Dylan and the feel-good energy of Jimmy Buffet.
   
The lyrics in "Mercury Said 65" are a mixed bag. There some shining moments, especially early on ("Mercury Said 65" and "Goliath"), where wordplay makes interesting use of clichés. At other points, though, the lyrics are problematic. They run the gamut from tongue-in-cheek dialog ("Thank You For Lisa") to melodramatic ("We Jarred The Hour") to "we couldn't think of anything else that rhymed" ("Kweneneka"). For an album with an emphasis on its contained history of the band members, this constant change in seriousness makes it hard to connect with the songs.
   
Individually, it is apparent the songs chronicle a history. Dazy Head Mazy touches on their workspace in a pseudo-glamorous light ("Bartender"), stranger in a strange land ("Thank You For Lisa") and loss ("We Jarred The Hour").
   
Anyone looking for low-key, fun music would enjoy "Mercury Said 65." Catchy songs with intriguing riffs and some witty lyrics create a distinct sound for the album.  While not a musical marvel, it stays true to Dazy Head Mazy's goal: to have fun.
   
Information on the album and band can be found at the Dazy Head Mazy Web site: http://www.dazyheadmazy.com/index.html