Stay – Mersey Dream 7′ EP (2013) review
Stay “Mersey Dream 7′ EP” (Fruits de Mer Records, 2013)
Of the three covers Barcelona’s Stay
undertakes on this four-song EP, they go from the extreme of interpreting the
work of the most well-known band in the history of pop music (The Beatles) to
doing a track by an act that even diehard ‘60s music crate diggers might not
have heard (The Fairytale- an English group from the late ‘60s who only made
two singles). And, for a ‘tweener, they offer their rendition of the Marmalade
classic “I See the Rain,” which is somewhere between universally known and
utterly obscure. Their take on The Beatles’ “If I Needed Someone” is a pure
delight of a listen, even if it’s a song we’ve all heard covered before. Their
work-up of the Fairytale tune, a trippy comedown number called “Guess I Was
Dreaming,” is the best thing on the EP, something anyone who likes a good,hazy
psych song will dig. If the band makes a misstep here, it’s on their version of
the Marmalade song – it sounds both overthought and flat, and just not a match
for the original and really not even a match for the Matthew Sweet/Susanna
Hoffs “Sid n Susie” version from their Under the Covers album of ‘60s covers.
For good measure, Stay add in one original, the title track. Similar to the
stuff heard on their last EP for Fruits de Mer (although those were all covers)
“Mersey Dream” is fueled by a constant rush of wah-wah guitar that makes one
think of The Stone Roses. It’s a good song, and it’s nice to hear the band
offering up one of their own tunes along with the cover versions.
undertakes on this four-song EP, they go from the extreme of interpreting the
work of the most well-known band in the history of pop music (The Beatles) to
doing a track by an act that even diehard ‘60s music crate diggers might not
have heard (The Fairytale- an English group from the late ‘60s who only made
two singles). And, for a ‘tweener, they offer their rendition of the Marmalade
classic “I See the Rain,” which is somewhere between universally known and
utterly obscure. Their take on The Beatles’ “If I Needed Someone” is a pure
delight of a listen, even if it’s a song we’ve all heard covered before. Their
work-up of the Fairytale tune, a trippy comedown number called “Guess I Was
Dreaming,” is the best thing on the EP, something anyone who likes a good,hazy
psych song will dig. If the band makes a misstep here, it’s on their version of
the Marmalade song – it sounds both overthought and flat, and just not a match
for the original and really not even a match for the Matthew Sweet/Susanna
Hoffs “Sid n Susie” version from their Under the Covers album of ‘60s covers.
For good measure, Stay add in one original, the title track. Similar to the
stuff heard on their last EP for Fruits de Mer (although those were all covers)
“Mersey Dream” is fueled by a constant rush of wah-wah guitar that makes one
think of The Stone Roses. It’s a good song, and it’s nice to hear the band
offering up one of their own tunes along with the cover versions.
Review made by Brian Greene/2013
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http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013
http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013
