Vandaveer: The Wild Mercury

(Ramshackler) When bands attempt to move their sound forward, often times small, graceful changes are more effective than seismic, high-risk-high-reward shifts. On “The Wild Mercury,” Vandaveer digs deeper into the pop landscape with one foot still firmly planted in the melancholy singer-songwriter world that they’ve spent five records in, sliding in a slightly new direction without losing the place where they started. There are more cinematic, commercial-ready moments than usual. And it’s certainly expansive and ambitious, which can make it feel a bit uneven at times, but overall, it’s bold enough to be solid.