Mark Fain - “Meri Misery”

Michigan-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Mark Fain arrives on our blog with “Meri Misery,” his first single after quitting a 14-year animation career in advertising.

“Meri Misery” is filled to its brim with elements that are bound to resonate among fans from multiple genres. From the acoustically-driven propulsion of its folksy backbone, to its psychedelically-tinged sense of indie rock swagger, the song fills an authentic and nostalgic niche that we wish was more common.

As Fain describes the track, “Meri Misery” is like The Beatles, Bowie, and Cage The Elephant got together to craft a musical address to America, personified as a love who keeps breaking your heart but whom you can never give up on.” And while we shall refrain from any political discourse, there are most assuredly musical elements present from each of these comparisons.

The vocal performance appears to be exquisitely double-tracked, as though something straight out of Abbey Road, with a tasty, ear-catching refrain that enters the ears as though a long lost track from Ziggy Stardust. The dynamic fluctuation in the shifting tempo brings a wondrous sense of ebb and flow to the entire arrangement.

Flourishes of vibey lead guitar decorate the composition, giving the listener something new to latch onto with each subsequent spin of “Meri Misery.” For the final third, the song delves into what appears to be a digitally-driven breakdown that will surely bring you back to it, over and over again, especially as the song enters its epic crescendo.

Fain adds: “As we go into an election where we could either hold onto hope or kick it to the curb, “Meri Misery“ decries America ever arriving at this point after it was supposed to have learned from the past. By addressing the lyrics directly to America, or “Meri,” the song is relatable to most people. Still, nods to Sam Cooke and Bob Dylan classics in lyrics like, “Changes were to come, not undone…We’re all runnin’ out of time,” reveal where I’m coming from.”

-HD

Mark Fain - “Meri Misery”

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