Being a duo consisting of JR Robinson (Wrekmeister Harmonies) and Mark Solotroff (Anatomy of Habit, Bloodyminded), it is not at all surprising that the debut from The Mercury Impulse is heavily rooted in the world of synths and electronics. Across eight songs, however, the sound cannot be so easily summarized. The result is a rich blend of light and dark, fluctuating from noise to melody effortlessly, often within a single composition.
Robinson and Solotroff began collaborating in Chicago over a decade ago, most notably with Solotroff playing in a large ensemble form of Wrekmeister Harmonies, but the two never recorded much beyond that. These opportunities being limited even further when Robinson relocated to New York. It was only at the beginning of this year that work began in earnest, stemming from unfinished recordings the two had shared in the years before in a long-distance collaboration.
I always associate Solotroff with analog synths, so I was not at all surprised with the pulsating tones and nasal electronic swirls that open "Behind Dull Glass." The swelling and repetition underscores what sounds like digital filtering, occasionally rising to noisier crests to then drift off into floating spaces. "I Heard the Earth Falling" begins with a similar digital burst, but transitions to a sustained robotic insect swarm. This shifts to a continuing grind with rising and falling layers of tremolo laden guitar noise and makes for some of the harsher material here.
"Keeping My Second Self Invisible" starts with what sounds like a lone synth playing in a spacious warehouse, simultaneously heavy and commanding, but open and spacious at the same time. From this space, guitar tones rise from the depths and then hover in the ether. Records of Human Behavior moves into some unexpected, but fascinating directions at its midpoint. "Primitive Instincts" immediately stands out due to the duo employing not only overt voices, but also a thudding, percussive synth line that makes for an almost conventional song structure.
"Miles of Smoldering Trash," which immediately follows, hints at an aggressive power electronics-like chug, but never hits that full harshness. Instead, it lingers in a menacing idle that is more effective than if Solotroff had gone for a throwback to his Intrinsic Action days. By the time "Remanded to the Back of a Mirror" arrives, the feeling is lighter, with shimmering electronics layered atop one another. The pairing of overdriven guitar distortion and melodic elements result in a very different mood than how the album began, accentuated even more by fading the piece out rather than coming to an abrupt end.
"Infinite Repetition" features the duo going even further in this direction, starting with some electronic noise but soon bringing in more understated tones and what almost resembles a piano. While there are some intense moments via low frequency surges, the piece is lush and ends on a surprisingly light note. Closer "Lessons of Apathy" shifts more heavily into slow undulations, with some bass heavy moments coming forth but overall ending on an understated note.
The structure of Records of Human Behavior is one of the things that immediately grabbed my attention, as the flow from bleak, oppressive moods transitioning into lighter, more open spaces that at times have almost a hint of hope to them. Admittedly, I am more familiar with Mark Solotroff’s massive body of work, so for comparison purposes The Mercury Impulse is something rather different than I have heard from him before. Sure, there is some noise, there are a lot of synthesizers, but with Robinson’s contributions it is a different beast entirely that is intense and cinematic, but at all times gorgeous and enthralling.
