Mercyside 
"Take my hand if you trust me, to blue clouds and a pink
sea, now the time has come?"
Welcome to Mercyside, the debut of singer/songwriter and keyboardist Jennifer
Brunetti and her self-titled release. Mercyside is the embodiment of this
talented musician. Detroit-born,classically trained at a young age, then
eventually at Boston's Berklee College of Music and now native New Yorker,Brunetti invites us into her unique and intimate world on this
first offering.
Brunetti, whose talent
as an award winning filmmaker is apparent in the way she constructs each song,
enhances the lyrical content with the layering of sound, giving each song its
own depth and distinct atmosphere. "To me it seems like the most natural
thing in the world vision and sound. Itšs difficult for me to create either
without having a sense of the other in my head."
Mercyside were signed to Mi5 records in 2000 and recorded this debut that same
year in New York. The songs were written over a 4-year period. The lyrical
content journeys from the whimsical imaginings of an isolated little girl,
through her traumatic coming of age, ending with an optimistic and well-earned
sense of self.
From the albumšs opening, Pink Sea, the listener is instantly ensconced in the
playful and magical world of Jenniferšs making. "I wrote this is in the
spring while living in New York City," explains Brunetti. "Some of the
lyrics come from my childhood daydreams."
The imaginary world is quickly replaced with a real, and much harsher one.
Truth Is portrays a woman in love with a man who keeps her waiting, always
wanting, and the mantra like lyrics are surrounded in a sexy ethereal 60šs
groove. Nothing At All explores the self-deceits of a woman trying to hold onto
to a lover who is slipping away, the maze effect of the lyrics compounded by a
pounding spiral sound. Prisoner is inspired by the 1960šs British TV series
"The Prisoner" and includes sampling from the show.
"Though this song is inspired by the TV show the title is also a metaphor
for a time in my life when I lived in suburbia, where everything was safe,
pristine, comfortable. I could make a good living, settle down and have kids but
the safest thing for me to do was risk it all and walk away."
Roses
In The Field tackles very personal and traumatic events in Brunettišs life
two sexual assaults, one of which took place as a young girl of 9, while
swimming, with her brothers and sister in sight on the beach. " I worked on
this for a long time. It was definitely inspired by my own personal experiences,
but as I finished it took a bit of a turn to a more military reference, where
family and loved ones throw red roses into the fields where soldiers lives were
lost."
If You Knew Her harkens straight from swinging London with a mod sound and a
Dial M for Murder lyric about a guy who finds out his girlfriend murdered her
last boyfriend but justifies his love for her anyway. Times Fool continues the
groove and takes us into Lonely Girl, a return to Brunettišs childhood. Both
the lyrics and the music feel nostalgic for the more
innocent sounds of pop music in the 60šs. Though it chronicles a difficult and
lonely time, it is from "a more grown up perspective, and is very
protective of that lonely girl."
The album closes with two very strong tracks from the determined grooves of
Falling, which speaks to the power of love over good sense, to Your Time, a
"call to action. With all these songs speaking of being different, this is
my answer - basically saying that it is time to move on, do your own thing."
Look for Mercyside and fellow Mi5 Recording artists
The Blue Mockingbirds
and Jesus Jones, as they embark on a US Tour this December 2001.
Mercyside: (Mi5/Koch) Release Date November 6, 2001
For More Information Please Contact: Elizabeth Freund 212 864 8091