Their sound has showed shades of their mellow yet tuneful post-punk forerunners such as Echo & the Bunnymen, Modern English, New Order, and The Smiths while still pursuing their own path. A fourth record, 1996's 'See', was released by Mercury/PolyGram before the band began leaving the majors altogether in the late 90s. The band did several independent releases from 1999 on into the 00s, including 2004's well-received 'Waterworks'. Then, several years later, the group began working on a new full length record, their first full album release in over a decade. Entitled 'Ultramarine', the band scheduled it for release on March 19, 2013 through Korda Records, a new Minneapolis-based cooperative label that the group helped launch in late 2012.
Over the years, they've gained a reputation as one of America's more influential dream pop artists, forming a sound that many artists would look to from the 90s onward. Their debut, 'The Ocean Blue', continues to draw praise from retrospective-minded musical critics as well as alternative music fans in general. In recent years, the group's followers have found 'Ultramarine' a spectacular return to form that recalls the band’s earliest work and should appeal to fans old and new alike.
On the title, band member and singer-songwriter David Schelzel has explained, "We chose Ultramarine to reflect several things. The mood of this record is a little blue, and harkens back to our other "blue" record, Cerulean. It's also a fun play on our name, and we were very conscious of our history as a band making this record. Thinking about our music, what it's meant to us and others. Asking a lot of existential questions about the band, what it was, is, and could be in the future."
Ultramarine was recorded in Minneapolis, MN, Portland, OR, and Mt Gretna, PA over several years, with Schelzel and drummer Peter Anderson producing. "This record unfolded in slow motion,” says Schelzel, “At a glacial pace. We were not on the clock we were when we were on the major labels. And we were not in an insulated studio world for months making the music. We made it mostly in our own studios, on our own time. Regular life drifted into this one more than our earlier records.”
Music recording and distribution, and the social networks of the Web have changed the landscape completely since the band’s last full length. Says Anderson, “We are using gear and technology on the recording side that for the most part didn’t exist when the band was making big budget studio records in the 90s. It’s allowed us to do a lot of things we’d never been able to do years ago, all at a much cheaper cost. We also have the ability to connect with people directly via the Web that wasn’t really there when we did our last release."
Musically, the new record is a return to form for the band. As well as a new beginning. Lyrically it is romantic, melancholic and impressionistic. The melodic singing, chimey guitars and lush keyboards the band is known for weave their way through the songs. Even the saxophone has returned on the opening track. But it is a record full of music that sounds very of the moment.
"It's an interesting time for us to be putting out a new record. So much of the music we see and hear now reminds me of things I loved growing up," say guitarist Oed Ronne. "My friends in their twenties like The Smiths and New Order. It's a strange thing, but good for us I think. We'd love to reconnect with our old fans, but also make new ones among the ranks of the young."
"I'm really looking forward to sharing this new music with people who know us and people who’ve never heard us before. And play some shows," says bass player Bobby Mittan. "It's been way too long."
Mercury
The Ocean Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Almost invisibly,
I found that I
for a moment
Had slipped away.
Ripped in two, then pasted back again,
Then crumpled up inside,
Then tossed aside
It feels so bad.
oh Mercury
oh Mercury
Happened once, then it
happened twice,
Then it happened thrice,
And now a fourth?
You know that?
Quietly, almost elusively
Almost invisibly,
I found that I
for a moment
Had slipped away.
oh Mercury
The Ocean Blue's song Mercury evokes a sense of loneliness and despair in its seemingly simple yet profound lyrics. The opening lines of the song, "Quietly, almost elusively, almost invisibly, I found that I for a moment had slipped away" describe the feeling of being disconnected from oneself and the world around them. The use of words like 'elusively' and 'invisibly' suggests that this disconnection is hard to grasp and understand, almost as if the singer is struggling to make sense of their feelings.
As the song progresses, the singer describes their emotional state as being "ripped in two, then pasted back toget her, then crumpled up inside, then tossed aside". These words paint a vivid image of someone who is struggling to keep themselves together, who has been hurt and abandoned, and who is feeling lost and alone. The repetition of the line "oh Mercury" underscores the singer's pain and frustration, leaving the listener with a sense of the weight of the emotions being conveyed.
Overall, Mercury is a poignant and thought-provoking song that touches on themes of isolation, loss, and the fragile nature of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Quietly, almost elusively
Almost unnoticed, with great subtlety
Almost invisibly,
So subtle it almost couldn't be seen
I found that I
I discovered that I
for a moment
But only briefly
Had slipped away.
Had become detached from reality
Ripped in two, then pasted back again,
Torn apart emotionally, then pieced together again
Then crumpled up inside,
Feeling devastated and hopeless
Then tossed aside
Discarded and forgotten
you know that
You understand
It feels so bad.
It's incredibly painful.
oh Mercury
An expression of despair and hopelessness
oh Mercury
Repeating the expression of despair and hopelessness
Happened once, then it
Occurring previously and then
happened twice,
Happening again and again
Then it happened thrice,
But never getting better
And now a fourth?
Asking if it's happening yet again
You know that?
Do you understand?
Quietly, almost elusively
With subtlety again
Almost invisibly,
But almost unnoticeably
I found that I
I discovered that I
for a moment
Briefly
Had slipped away.
Detached from reality again
oh Mercury
An expression of hopelessness yet again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID SCHELZEL, DAVID GEORGE SCHELZEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Percy Alvarado C
Quietly, almost elusively
Almost invisibly, I found that I
For a moment had slipped away
Ripped in two, then pasted back again
Then crumpled up inside, then tossed aside
You know that it feels so bad
Oh, Mercury
Oh, Mercury
Happened once and then it happened twice
And then it happened thrice and now a fourth
You know that? Did you know that?
Ripped in two, then pasted back again
Then crumpled up inside, then tossed aside
You know that it feels so bad
Oh, Mercury
Oh, Mercury
Quietly, almost elusively
Almost invisibly, I found that I
For a moment had slipped away
Ripped in two, then pasted back again
Then crumpled up inside, then tossed aside
You know that it feels so bad
Photos
Oh, Mercury
Oh, Mercury
Oh, Mercury
Oh, Mercury
Read more: Ocean Blue - Mercury Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Juan Rojas Camino a la toma de consciencia
Quietly, almost elusively
Almost invisibly,
I found that I
for a moment
Had slipped away.
Ripped in two, then pasted back again,
Then crumpled up inside,
Then tossed aside
you know that
It feels so bad.
oh Mercury
oh Mercury
Happened once, then it
happened twice,
Then it happened thrice,
And now a fourth?
You know that?
Quietly, almost elusively
Almost invisibly,
I found that I
for a moment
Had slipped away.
oh Mercury
Treff Bennett
I used to spend hours at music store listening stations, trying to find treasure I NEVER would have heard on the radio and The Ocean Blue were one of my greatest finds! Pure beauty and graceful melodies are to be found on every album they put out! Cherish them and always will!
zamaz99
It's funny how hard we had to work to find good music in the pre-digital days!
Lance Collins
My story exactly
The Real Papa Gamer
Excellent drumming on this one. Very underrated band.
JUST RIDE
Rob Minnig. Love his work on this song, and on their entire first album. He left the band in 2001, no idea what happened to the guy. He was great.
Benoit Vanhees
What a sublime teamwork, the delicate accents of the keyboards, the topnotch vocals, the bumblebeeing bass, the guitar bringing a fine solo, while the drummer is keeping everything without overdoing together... They deserved far better sales figures and 27 000 thumbs up by now...
Dennis Himebaugh
Benoit Vanhees Well said.
David Michael
+Benoit Vanhees You are not kidding Benoit - I couldn't have put it better myself. A criminally under-rated band. Love these guys!
Ralph Lazio
I just saw these guys play last year at the ECHO PLEX in LOS ANGELES. They still sound AMAZING. It was a full house. Great show!
wdrauch
This whole album Cerulean is full of beautifully crafted songs like this one. This really takes me back to college days when I used to drift off to sleep listening to this album nearly every night.