Private press minimal synth gem rescued from opulent obscurity by RVNG Int’l sub label Freedom To Spend. Originally released by Mercure under her married name, Michele Musser, Eye Chant initially went unnoticed in a sea of self-released DIY synth records that were ubiquitous in the mid eighties. Eye Chant later became a collector holy grail, in part for its bizarre original cover art but mostly due to Mercure’s singular approach to electronic music. Hailing from rural Pennsylvania and detached from any regional “scene” of likeminded progressive musicians, Mercure’s synthesizer experiments are guided solely by her own objective intuition, and it shows: no two tracks on Eye Chant sound even remotely similar. After opening with three placid helpings of FM synth and TR-606 exercises , Mercure wakes you up with the insanely-bizarre “100% Bridal Illusion”. After a soothing palette cleanser (the title track), Eye Chant really gets going on side B; don’t give up before you hear 7-minute reverie “Proteus & The Marlin” and Blade Runner-on-a-budget noir boogie joint “Too Much”. Includes extensive liner notes detailing the album’s inception and photo spread of the original album art. Recommended.

• extensive liner notes
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Freedom To Spend 2017

reviewed by peanut dust 05/2017