With their combination of crisp syncopated drumming and dueling buzz-saw guitars, Illionois’ legendary indie-rock outfit, Braid, became a favorite in the hearts of many. Braid’s success in their brief six years together was large enough to spawn inevitable copiers and various annoying sub-genre labels like “emo” that served no purpose in elucidating the merits of how powerful a musical force they truly were. The real magic of Braid lay in the vocal interplay between the ragged yelp of Chris Broach and the smoother sound of Bob Nanna, in the oblique yet touching lyrics of emotional angst that never smacked of pretension and more importantly, never lapsed into amateurish “sad boy loses girl” territory.

Simply put, Braid was a great band, but Braid is no more.

The group chose to disband towards the end of 1999, at least in part to pursue other projects. For a time all was silent on the Braid front, but by early 2000, three quarters of the original line-up (Nanna, bassist Todd Bell and drummer Damon Atkinson) were recording as a new band with the addition of second guitarist Mark Dawursk. The new group, Hey Mercedes, arguably find themselves in an unenviable position; no longer relying upon the name they built up over years of constant touring, yet still possessing the same core sound that will inevitably doom them to incessant Braid comparisons. .

Fortunately, judging by the powerful sound of Everynight Fire Works, Hey Mercedes’ recently released full-length debut, Nanna and his band-mates had better things to do than worry about my critical speculation.

This confident attitude and a general commitment to straight-up rock are what characterize Everynight Fire Works from the beginning. “The Frowning of a Lifetime” features classic stop-start dynamics and angular guitar work, long Braid staples, while at the same time latching onto a refined melodic sensibility occasionally absent on earlier records.

Everynight Fire Works finds Nanna, Bell and Atkinson continuing their musical journey together, with integral contributions from Dawursk, and it presents a more accessible and refined spin on the sound the boys pioneered close to a decade ago. In a musical environment where bands frequently fail to build on past achievements, Every Night Fire Works deserves acclaim.