Ethereal, hypnotic, driving, cinematic, haunting… these are good words to describe San Francisco-based Mercury’s Antennae. Comprised of vocalist Dru Allen, multi-instrumentalist Erick R. Scheid and bassist Cindy Coulter, the band’s sound is distinctly reminiscent of ‘90s-era Projekt acts ranging from the heavy moodiness and guitar drone of Lycia to the unadorned acoustic beauty of Love Spirals Downwards. The group also draws on ambient and tribal influences, contemporary electronica, the sweet melodic pop of 4AD, and the blissful guitar noise of bands like Curve.

Scheid co-founded the band Translucia in 1994. After appearing on the Cocteau Twins tribute Half Gifts on the now defunct Dewdrops label, Translucia were signed to Toronto’s Plan 11 label, which released two albums. Allen has studied and performed classical, world and rock music for over 25 years. Best known for fronting the darkwave act This Ascension, she is also one-half of the neo-classical heavenly voices band Marbles. Coulter (This Ascension, Faith & the Muse) joined the band for the 2015 tour line-up, officially turned Mercury's into a trio.

Mercury's Antennae was born 2010 at a fateful Lovespirals show in San Francisco. Having recognized Allen from her work in This Ascension, Scheid approached her with the idea of collaborating on music. An enduring connection formed as Allen gave voice to a number of instrumentals Scheid had previously recorded. Other compositions came to life, spontaneously conceived as the two jammed with acoustic guitar and voice. They each brought their own unique approach to Mercury’s Antennae; Allen’s soaring, multilayer vocals fused with Scheid’s electronic experimentation and trusty guitars to create songs of rarified style, power and grace. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.