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Reviews

Pat Strawser — Mercury 8
(Bandcamp no#, 2025, DL)

Pat Strawser — Another Record
(Bandcamp no#, 2026, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-09-18

Mercury 8 Cover artAnother Record Cover art

Somewhere between his other endeavors of gigging and recording with French TV, owning and operating a world class recording studio, and lending his keyboard playing to other artists releases, Strawser still has time to compose and produce full length albums of original music on a fairly regular schedule. The two at hand are from 2025 and 26 and represent a cross-section of Strawser’s musical interests, from space oriented synth music to rock, jazz, fusion and more.

Mercury 8 was released in November 2025 and offers thirteen tracks of synth based electronic compositions in an instrumental song format, fully orchestrated with a variety of synth based sounds, a tribute to the planet nearest the sun. The pieces tend to be rhythmic, funky at times, and very melodically brilliant, each with an entirely different character borne of imaginative consideration of what a journey alongside the planet Mercury might entail. Tracks like “Death of a Star” have a softer, more dreamy feel, yet still embrace a beautiful sense of melodicism, while “Magnetosphere” that immediately follows has that dreamy feel but with a funky walking bottom end featuring electronic percussion and colorful soloing throughout its brief four-minute duration. “Signs of Life” has a very programmed feel, though catchy and warm to the touch (as anything Mercury related should be) as waves of soft, slowly evolving melodic sprites eventually encircle the song’s bouncy backbone. Opener “Voyage in Retrograde” sets the stage beautifully for all that follows, deep pulses and gurgling walls of synth open the door to a light percussive element and haunting melodies sounding much like a Theremin from the set of Outer Limits, all the while new ideas are absorbed and folded into the ongoing sonic cauldron. “Planetary Nightclub” begins with a stomp as layers of additional synthplay are incorporated slowly with each passing measure. At its funkiest, Mercury 8 might remind a listener of mid-80s Herbie Hancock, whereas when the melodic and textures dominate, one might well be reminded of the work of the late, great Vangelis.

In spite of its boring sounding title, Another Record from 2026 is anything but. Using a wider range of keyboard sounds, including piano, electric piano, organ, software based sounds, plus drums, a little guitar, and much more, for a sound that approaches rock, jazz or straight-up fusion of the highest order. Some of the style that was heard on the 2025 album can be be heard herein also, but folded into a more balanced sound that one would suspect has wider appeal. And there are plenty of interesting detours, like the brilliant piano interlude “Friday Afternoon Improvisation,” a wonderfully gentle and serene piece that develops slowly as other instruments join in over its mere three-minute duration, “Caldera,” a short piece featuring acoustic guitar and synths, and the gripping “Polyvision” that floats along in a near ambient state until mid-song when a gorgeous synth melody comes in and leaves its mark. The set opener, “Another Fine Solo” has a punchy bottom end that pairs nicely with the funky rock rhythm that it eventually absorbs, then changing back mid-song to a more gentle feel. “What Do You Call This” seems to be channeling Corea’s Where Have I Known You RTF without the aggressive rock punch. Perhaps the most ambitious piece here is the eighteen-minute three part epic “Is It Real,” as close as Strawser gets to a classic prog sound, though keyboard dominant, it features numerous twists and turns as it cycles through numerous melodic and rhytmic ideas along its way to a grand and powerful conclusion. Both Mercury 8 and Another Record are worthy of the attention of creative music enthusiasts everywhere.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Pat Strawser

More info
http://patstrawser.bandcamp.com/album/mercury-8
http://patstrawser.bandcamp.com/album/another-record

 

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