David Eugene Edwards's 2023 full-length Hyacinth was a significant turn in his musical journey. Americana still defined much of the record's spirit, from the guitar lines and the song structures, but the backbone was forged in electronica. While this shift was sonically significant, it did not alter Edwards's existential and ritualistic interests. In fact it amplified these concepts, imbuing his music with a more hypnotic and otherworldly quality. The question was whether Edwards would go deeper into the electronic domain or return to a more folk-centric narrative.
The answer in Mercurial Silence is clear, with Edwards continuing to process Americana through a synthetic filter. The acoustic guitar and the deep, confident vocals are still the guiding lights, radiating with themes of existentialism and introspection. But the surrounding scenery is one based in an urban mysticism, one that aesthetically recalls the more dystopian visions of Swans in The Great Annihilator. Edwards might not carry the same apocalyptic worldview, and instead funnels similar components for a different end result. In "Geush Urvan," he uses the acoustic guitar to set the heartbeat of the track, its steady strumming determining the progression while the electronic surroundings create a trance-like atmosphere.
This mesmerizing quality has always been present in Edwards's music, but never so deeply intertwined with the electronic elements that shape the compositions. The album incorporates Coil-like psychedelic textures, with the sub-bass in "Hexameter" adding depth to its ritualistic atmosphere. The bass here is pivotal, a thick low end that acts like a sonic anchor. The use of subtle audio effects further enhances the immersive ambiance of Mercurial Silence, with the echoes and delays slowly reverberating through the open space. This hallucinogenic quality brings to mind the early days of the trip-hop scene, and especially the slow, delicately heavy essence of Maxinquaye, particularly in "Mithūdṛśā."
With Mercurial Silence Edwards has gone further into electronic music than with Hyacinth, but without forgetting where he comes from. In doing so he has also carried much of the immediate, memorable songwriting of his past work. While this makes the material in Mercurial Silence very direct and catchy, it also feels like he is still operating at the surface level, with the compositions not escaping their initial motifs. Through the hypnotic passages of his work it always feels like there is a deeper layer within reach, but one that is never fully explored. At this stage this feels more like a future exploration rather than a missed opportunity, and for now it is fine to simply lose oneself within the ceremonial magic of Mercurial Silence.
