speed of dark

Like many of us in southern California, Saint John of Saint John and the Revelations came originally from somewhere else. Born in British Columbia, he was a street performer in several European countries before arriving in Los Angeles and having the luck to have his first EP, Halo financed as the soundtrack of a film.

Mercy is his second, with nine songs. The first, "Hear Me Now," sets the scene and tone for the rest: "I look up in this dark room/and it's feeling like some ancient tomb..." This is a personal introspective of the past, present, and future from the perspective of someone who has endured pain, fear, and loss in love and in war. Saint John's lyrics are crafted from deeply-felt memories that have not been dulled by time, and they have the power to strike a vibration in the corresponding memories and emotions of the listener.

The accompanying instruments are mostly simple guitar and violin that underscore the personal tone and uphold, never overpower.

"Shall we try this again?" begins "Victory Tree." I read that one of the biggest problems many Iraq war veterans have is maintaining their marriages and relationships over the repeated and lengthy returns to war. This song makes me think of that scenario, especially with the repeated stress on, "You are free."

The next song, "Gods Among Men," backs it up ("I miss you before you're gone,") and reveals the helplessness to repair what is broken. "We were gods among men, fallen again, now it's time to go," is a reminder of how the U.S. came into this war, thinking we'd be heroes; and how disappointing it has been not to be able to make the changes we hoped for.

"How" feels like the bafflement of a soldier waking up in a hospital, wondering about his wounds: "These is not my pain/this is not my bed/this is not my life/How did I end up here?/And this is not my rage/this is not my hate/this is not my hurt/How did I end up here?" From out of this confusion arises the strength and clarity to go forward. Very beautiful and uplifting, and next to "Mercy" perhaps the most poignant and powerful on the CD.

"Sky Lights Up" could be a description of a normal morning in a Muslim city in the words "Sky lights up, and the city prays," but more likely it refers to the violence of war: "What happened to your esprit de corps? This is the war to start a hundred more." That light in the sky could be bombing instead of a sunrise, and I would sure be praying if bombs were falling on my city.

"Part of Me" bares the soul of the shell-shocked man who has returned from war and is trying to act normal among those who can't fathom his experiences: "Thank you for not sitting too near/How can something so dark make it all so clear?...Part of me knows it's wrong/Maybe it's just wrong for part of me".

"Mercy" is the first song I heard from this CD, and although I'm impressed with all of it, I still like this one just a teeny bit best. When Saint John sings "have mercy on me", you hear from the depths of his being that this is real, but underneath the desperation the melody carries a tone of hope. "Break all the mirrors/Mercy/Don't come any nearer/Mercy/There have been so many names/Give up on trying to blame/Take the pictures from the frames/Mercy."

The last song is short but, by using battle language, tells of more to come: "This wasn't peace, just cease-fire". It's called "I Don't Know How to Let You Go," so it fades gently away on a repeating note.

Saint John is just beginning to record his next full-length release, a full-length album, but Mercy is a little gem that deserves notice for the delicacy and tenderness with which its subjects are treated as well as for the beauty of the music. Saint John is completely independent, so buying directly from his store supports him, not layers of bureaucracy.

Saint John and the Revelations: Mercy



This track was provided by Saint John for the expressed purpose of distribution on Speed of Dark.
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