Album Notes

A nearly hour-long adventure in songwriting, Merz's third solo CD release and second full-length leads the listener through a few tuneful folk-pop tracks before plunging into some ambitious psychedelic experimentation.

Mature themes of love and loss (Easy for You to Say, One More Time, Like Riding a Bike) give way to sweeping tales of flying saucers, ethereal kites, imperial conquest, and colossal man-eating earthworms (Higher Beings Command, Kites, Place in the Sun, Human Resources), culminating in a multiphase sound-collage instrumental (Gates of Hell). More to Life and Don't Wanna Go There lead the disc back to conclude atop its earthbound origins.

Produced and engineered by Merz over a 14-month period, The Odd Side of the Street features stalwart accompaniment from the Can o' Worms, Merz's live backing combo (Doug Bratland, Ben Connelly, William Mullen, Rich Rue) as well as augmentation by piano, cello, banjo, recorder, violin, theremin, and a grab bag of oddball samples. Despite all the electronics and such, this disc was nominated for "Best Acoustic Album" by the Minnesota Music Academy the year of its release...

'Sparklingly brilliant.' -Vickie Gilmer, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

'Merz's stunning skill as a songsmith makes 'The Odd Side of the Street' strangely uplifting.' -Jennifer Undis, sidewalk.com

'I can't find a moment here that I don't want to get more acquainted with. While he challenges himself musically, choosing the fifth thing he thought of rather than simply strumming a few chords, Mike Merz also challenges the listener to swallow a few bitter pills even as they relax in a beautiful bed of sounds.' -Henry Horman, Pulse of the Twin Cities