Apr 27 2021
View Author
4
This sounds like the Flaming Lips' lesser known cousin. A little bit more delicate, a little more misunderstood. I can envision someone putting this on in an apartment in 2004, taking a massive bong rip, sinking into a couch, and fantasizing about making out with Zooey Deschanel. Take that picture, put it inside a snow globe, add a healthy dusting of glitter, and you've got yourself this album. All kidding aside, this was a quite nice surprise, especially after the garbage lineup from last week. A little too precious at moments for me, so not a full fiver, but definitely gets me as hard as a leaked Zooey Deschanel nudie.
👍
Feb 12 2024
View Author
2
The most forgettable album I think I've ever listened to. But then, if there was one more forgettable than this one, how would I know?
👍
Jan 01 2021
View Author
5
Holes alone is a 5.
👍
Apr 09 2023
View Author
5
Sometimes the drugs do work
👍
Jan 06 2023
View Author
5
Never heard of this album or group.
- Sounds like a movie soundtrack
- Very dreamy and melancholic
- During "Endlessly" there's a part that sounds like 'Silent Night'
- Opus 40: "Tears in waves, minds on fire"
👍
Dec 19 2022
View Author
5
This is one of those albums that has grown on me over the years. From originally thinking of it as a good album but not holding much sway over me, to sinking into my brain and becoming a favourite of mine. In this album they come off as a psychedelic R.E.M. swirling around the edges of dream pop tinged Americana.
At first I found Jonathan Donahue's vocals left me on edge but now they have a calmling quality over me
👍
Apr 12 2024
View Author
3
Not bad, but didn’t really get me excited. Not annoying though.
👍
Oct 07 2022
View Author
4
Kind of a Tim Burton twist on The Flaming Lips. I like.
👍
Jul 23 2021
View Author
4
J'ai bien aimé Deserter's Songs même si le sujet abordé me paraît assez léger.
Cet album raconte l'histoire d'un jeune lycéen fumant des chichas goût double pomme un soir où ses parents sont sortis au cinéma. Après un geste maladroit, il renverse le charbon sur le parquet, qui se retrouve brûlé. Il décide alors de casser l'ampoule qui éclaire la chambre et de disposer ses morceaux sur la partie noircie du parquet.
Ses parents rentrent vers minuit et découvrent avec stupéfaction les dégâts causés par la pipe à eau. Il ne croient pas un mot de ce que leur raconte leur fils, le chanteur des Mercury Rev, et lui ordonnent de faire ses valises et de quitter le domicile familial.
👍
Jan 03 2021
View Author
4
This band flopped commercially and decided to make one album for themselves before breaking up, and this was the result. It grabbed my attention and didn't let go. There's a bit too much of the musical saw, and the singing is a bit weak, but they don't lack for heart, and it shines through. Not what I expected when I spun it up. Best track: Holes
👍
Aug 06 2023
View Author
5
Yeah I am very shocked at how good this album is, this is such an incredibly formatted album with a unique sound on every track.
I love the ethereal and psychedelic pop sound that is delivered throughout here, most tracks have me floating.
The lows are still decent, but the highs are fucking incredible.
Favourites: Holes / Tonite It Shows / Endlessly / I Collect Coins / Opus 40 / The Funny Bird / Pick It Up If You're There
👍
Apr 12 2024
View Author
4
Whimsical, magical, eccentric alt rock that sounds as much the passion project as it was intended to be. The back half is good but not great, but the front half is stupendous. A clear example of the musical quality that’s achieved when bands make music for themselves instead of a label or an audience.
Standout tracks include “Holes”, “Tonite It Shows”, “I Collect Coins”, and “Opus 40”.
👍
Jan 17 2021
View Author
4
Sounds like Flaming Lips a bit. (Turns out this album was being made in the same studio with the same producer as Soft Bulletin :0)
👍
Feb 12 2021
View Author
4
This is probably Mercury Rev’s most popular record and for good reason. The amalgamation of alternative rock, pop tendencies and weirdo instrumentation is pretty great here. I had heard some Mercury Rev before this but never a full album, glad I listened to this one.
Favorite song: Goddess on a Hiway
Least favorite song: Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp
👍
Nov 04 2024
View Author
3
I didn’t listen to the entire album but what I heard was alright, if a little maudlin.
3*
👍
Apr 13 2022
View Author
2
Man, that's an album that feels dated. And not dated to 1998, when it came out, but dated to somewhere around the middle of the 60s. And not in a good way.
I was going to give it a "meh" 3-star review but there were multiple saxophone solos which lost it another star.
👍
Jun 29 2021
View Author
1
Is this actual music, or the soundtrack to Plan 9 From Outer Space? COOL IT WITH THE FUCKING THEREMIN!
Would not recommend.
👍
Nov 23 2024
View Author
5
I liked this way more than I expected. All the songs are good, and it’s pretty different from other albums on the list.
👍
Nov 15 2024
View Author
5
I do love this album so much richer and mature than the Flaming Lips who they are always compared to. I did own their previous albums and enjoyed the noise and chaos so when this came out I was shocked and I have not enjoyed subsequent albums either. Something special about this one start to finish.
👍
Nov 10 2024
View Author
5
I lived in England for a year not long after this album came out. Although Mercury Rev are American, it was everywhere during my stay in the UK -- on the telly, in friends' homes, on the shelves of HMV and other record stores... And I suspect that it's because of the LP's reception in Britain that it's in this list. So many good melancholic songs with lush and extremely original instrumentations in there: "Holes", "Endlessly", "Opus 40"... At the time, I remember that out of all those songs, only "The Hudson Line"'s relatively hackneyed and middle-of-the-road sax arrangements rubbed me the wrong way. But decades later, I've even warmed up to this cut, just because it's bookended by such memorable moments anyway...
Jonathan Donahue's frail-yet-fully-emotional vocal performance is so effective in this great record. I especially love the latter's second side, probably because it also goes to more ominous territories once in a while, bringing nuance and dynamics to the whole tracklist. Back-to-back "Goddess On A Hiway" and "The Funny Bird" are among the greatest one-two punches I have ever found in any album. Rarely has twilight music sounded so persuasive and cinematic. Music to daydream about love and loss until the end of times ...
4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5.
9.5 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5)
Number of albums left to review: 13 (plus the 80-ish extra LPs listed on this app, included because different past versions of the book have mentioned albums that have since been dropped in subsequent editions)
Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 425 (including this one)
Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 253
Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 313
👍
Nov 06 2024
View Author
5
Schramm
👍
Sep 19 2024
View Author
5
An absolute favourite of mine - opus 40 and goddess on a hiway transport me back to my student days where life was simpler - immense
👍
Sep 19 2024
View Author
5
Every song feels like some kind of disturbing fairytale
👍
Sep 18 2024
View Author
5
Such a great record, and a perfect companion piece to The Soft Bulletin. Too many highlights to count.
👍
Sep 17 2024
View Author
5
Soft and peaceful indie rock with some unique instrumentation that would go well with some sort of fairy tale movie soundtrack. I was really pleasantly surprised by this album.
👍
Sep 16 2024
View Author
5
Wonderful stuff. Chill and serine.
👍
Aug 14 2024
View Author
5
Bloody hell I love this album.
👍
Aug 05 2024
View Author
5
Released the month I turned 16, and the part of the soundtrack of the next few years. A band I was only vaguely aware of before this album, but I looked out for everything they didod afterwards given how good this is. I loved Mercury Rev - and still
👍
Jul 22 2024
View Author
5
Fantastic. Goddamn do I love the strings, and the instrumental interludes are awesome. Great album with a great atmosphere
👍
Jul 09 2024
View Author
5
Adore.
Not listened to this in full for so long but what a joy.
👍
Jul 08 2024
View Author
5
4.75
👍
Jun 26 2024
View Author
5
I must have been a total asshat to be around in the late-90s. Having had the IMMENSE Ágætis byrjun earlier in the week (9 out of 5 stars), I was delighted to see this pop-up in the feed. Adored Mercury Rev, and, whilst not quite in the same class as the Icelandic chaps, the vocals & lyrics of Jonathan Donahue absolutely take you off into another world.
Loved it (but only 5 stars)
👍
Jun 17 2024
View Author
5
What a surprise! Loved this album. Reminded me of The Flaming Lips or the Polyphonic Spree.
👍
Jun 05 2024
View Author
5
One of the most beautiful albums I’ve heard. The musical notes are well done and voice is beautiful!
👍
May 23 2024
View Author
5
Peaceful and interesting sonically. I can very much imagine lighting up a J and putting this on.
Big fan of how it ends too. “Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp” put this over the hump to 5 stars (and I do kind of miss weird hidden tracks on albums).
👍
May 13 2024
View Author
5
Surprisingly great, for such a gnangnan album
👍
May 09 2024
View Author
5
This is like a wizardy soundtrack. Somehow I both cannot remember any song and keep listening. I get swept away in another dimension at every listen
👍
Mar 01 2024
View Author
5
Going into this album, the most important factor in me loving it is the fact that I also love—and a LOT more, I should add—The Flaming Lips' album THE SOFT BULLETIN. I'll save my exact opinions on it for when that actually shows up, but to put it in short, as a piece of music it's a very good contender for my top 20, if I ever wanted to make one. Anything that sounds like it would naturally appeal heavily to me.
Although, with that said, while there are a rather large number of spots here that remind me of THE SOFT BULLETIN, I don't wanna act like DESERTER'S SONGS isn't its own thing. It's not a dream pop record, for one; and it's not nearly as grand as THE SOFT BULLETIN can be. DESERTER'S SONGS is way more of a rock record, with its saxophone lines and guitar parts. And while DESERTER'S SONGS is more restrained, it's still a very cinematic listen—I mean, they wouldn't master this thing to 35mm film print if it wasn't. Plus it's got a few more musically odd moments than THE SOFT BULLETIN did—just check that untitled instrumental appended to the last track.
But I don't wanna act like my love for THE SOFT BULLETIN isn't a factor here. It absolutely is; I wasn't excited to listen to this thing until I saw that there was a whole section on its Wikipedia page about how they shared the same producer. Not to mention, to quote Wayne Coyne, "I think without DESERTER'S SONGS being so significant, THE SOFT BULLETIN would probably have not been followed too much." In that sense, at least, I owe a lot to DESERTER'S SONGS. Without it, it's likely I wouldn't have "Waitin' For A Superman" or "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate", or even "Fight Test", "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Part 1)" or "Do You Realize??". In that sense, even if I didn't like it, I'd have to give it SOME respect.
And luckily, I do like it, a lot. Not as much as THE SOFT BULLETIN, but it's up there. And me relating it so much in my mind to THE SOFT BULLETIN, by the way, is a HIGH compliment, believe me. I had such a large smile on my face during the first track when I realized how similar they sound. I can't really give anything that evokes that kind of reaction from me anything less than a 5.
👍
Feb 16 2024
View Author
5
"Deserter's Songs" is the fourth studio album by American rock band Mercury Rev. The listed genres are chamber pop and Americana. Unbelievably, both fit to a certain degree. This was pretty much a last ditch effort for the band after a commercial disappointment from their last album. Lead vocalist and guitarist Jonathan Donahue became motivated with a meeting with the Chemical Brothers who were big fans and then composed melodies after listening to childhood records. The album was produced by Donahue and former Mercury Rev member Dave Fridmann. The album did well hitting #27 in the UK and brought them unexpected popularity in the UK and Europe.
Loud strings and Donahue's high- pitched voice open "Holes." Piano is carrying the melody. There's horns. Weird synth noises. Dreamy, abstract and maybe autobiographical lyrics. Wow! Does this sound like the Flaming Lips' "The Soft Bulletin." And no surprise; Donahue was a member of the Lips on their first album, this album was being recorded at the same time as "The Soft Bulletin" and Donahue and the Lips' Wayne Coyne were exchanging ideas and both albums had the same producer in Fridmann.
The third single "Opus 40" keeps the strings going. A quicker pace with piano, the Band's Levon Helm on drums and a tuba. Kind of a mysterious message as a girl keeps trying to kill herself but can't. Things lighten' up on "Hudson Line." The Band's Garth Hudson opens with the sax. An electric guitar shows up. Traveling from NYC to upstate NY. This album was recorded in upstate NY.
Donahue wrote "Goddess on a Hiway" while he was in the Flaming Lips and decided to record it ten years later. Melancholy piano keys. A common rock beat and a soaring chorus. Weird guitar feedback (Lips' influence again). A doomed relationship. The album closes with "Delta Sun Bottleneck Blues." I did not see a techno house song coming. A dance beat. Playful, bouncey piano. An airy flute. Horns, synths in the background. A playful ending.
This is a great album and so different from their earlier pyschedelic, shoegazey stuff (which I also like by the way). Obvious comparisons and similarities to the Flaming Lips' "The Soft Bulletin." The music is unique, cheerful, dreamy, futuristic and big sounding. The producer Dave Fridmann would be known for that. He has quite the indie music resume as a producer. This is an album needs a listen to.
👍
Feb 14 2024
View Author
5
Well damn, took about 2 seconds to see why people were making Flaming Lips comparisons, but then it turns into so much more. Amazing songwriting, production is so full, there's not a single song i didn't like. Even had a couple of weird interludes to satisfy that part of my brain too. Banger.
👍
Feb 07 2024
View Author
5
Indie “The Wall” era Pink Floyd
👍
Feb 02 2024
View Author
5
New to me. Awesome discovery!
👍
Feb 02 2024
View Author
5
I was not really familiar with Mercury Rev, knew the name of the band but not much more than this. And that was actually pretty good! Their songs are at the crossroads between a precious indie rock, with post- or prog-rock leanings, well carved melodies and a hint of shoegazing. Sometimes sounds like an updated version of the Floyds. I'll probably give this another spin(s).
👍
Jan 31 2024
View Author
5
Never heard of this album or group. Very dreamy and melancholic and I'm glad I discovered this, will add this along with Velvet Underground to my list of albums I need to purchase.
👍
Jan 31 2024
View Author
5
I bought it on vinyl. That is all
👍
Jan 25 2024
View Author
5
loved!
👍
Jan 15 2024
View Author
5
This is that late 90s/2000s sort of pop prog that I remember, but never got super into, probably because I lived in a small town and this stuff wasn't on the radio. I wish I had, but now I get to, so it's all good. This type of music feels kind running through a field with all your friends.
👍
Jan 07 2024
View Author
5
Banger after banger after banger. After banger. It has been a long time since I bought into an album as quickly as I did this one.
👍
Nov 30 2023
View Author
5
Such a good psych pop/rock album, v reminiscent of the flaming lips!
I listened to this a lot back in the day when I read about it in an NME magazine (it was my friend's dad's and I picked it up cos it was about Kasabian) the mag had a feature about the 10 year re release of this cult album which intrigued me. This sound was v up my street. I especially liked goddess on a hiway, holes and opus 40, top tracks
👍
Nov 03 2023
View Author
5
Perfect for the nights you wanna let it all out. Sequencing is amazing
👍
Oct 26 2023
View Author
5
This is one of the first albums on here that reminded me it's not about loving the album, but you should definitely have listened to it at least once in your life. Great album.
👍
Oct 05 2023
View Author
5
I enjoyed this more than expected. Also crazy that I did not know this before. It seems like a twist on the wall with influences of a musical. I'm torn between a 4 and a 5 but I feel like this album will grow into a personal favorite so I'm going with a 5 star review for future reference
👍
Sep 22 2023
View Author
5
4.5/5
👍
Jun 21 2023
View Author
5
I... I reallllly liked this album, like first listen, loved it. So now I am going to have to wait sometime and give it a second listen. Might be just right time right place for me but this is an awesome album I have never heard of at all.
👍
Jun 15 2023
View Author
5
Totaly new for me and i love it!
👍
May 25 2023
View Author
5
The only question is whether Hudson Line stops this album being 5 ⭐️ or not?
It is extraordinary in so many ways - a big, ambitious sound that keeps an incredible psychedelic sound all the way through
Hudson Line doesn’t fit the feel or sound of the album at all and has always felt jarring
But the rest is so good I think we’ll go for full marks
The wailing guitar on Funny Bird probably makes up for it all by itself
👍
Feb 09 2023
View Author
5
This album pulled me in immediately with Holes and it didn’t disappoint from there. This is a beautifully intricate album, it sounds meticulous and messy at the same time. The vocals accompanied the breezy notes perfectly. I really enjoyed their use of what I thought was a Theremin or straight up saw but apparently they patented their own instrument called a Tettis Wave Accumulator, so that’s pretty neat. I didn’t expect to be handing out a 5 to this one but here we are, this was great. 5 stars
👍
Feb 08 2023
View Author
5
I loved the whimsy and experimentation of this. A new favorite!
👍
Jan 13 2023
View Author
5
kinda weird I played that right before flaming lips as they sound so similar. Feeling generous but I feel like this album is a good 4.5
👍
Nov 14 2022
View Author
5
WOW. the website made a strong first impression. holy wow.
how is this totally my shit...?
wowza.
👍
Nov 13 2022
View Author
5
An album which grows greater the older it gets. The links with The Band are clear here - Levon Helm appears on one track - with this an updated ghost tour through American history. I like to imagine they're driving through deserted gas stations and tumble down wooden shops on Highway 66.
👍
Oct 13 2022
View Author
5
This album is what I think psychedelic sound like, the great combination of instruments and the changes in the voice give it a beautiful sound.
The first song alone it's great, however the following songs are just good too. In between some songs there are some recordings that gives the album a more natural look.
👍
Oct 12 2022
View Author
5
Absolutely loved this, great discovery for me, thank you
👍
Oct 07 2022
View Author
5
WOW. This hit much harder than I anticipated. Dynamic, perfectly sequenced, powerful, interesting, emotional. Can't believe I'd never heard of them before.
I was going to write about how they share the same vibe as the Flaming Lips, but then I read their wikipedia page and saw that was way more accurate than I could have thought!
👍
Aug 31 2022
View Author
5
Had MR down as a fairly experimental band. Their previous albums were fine, but then they suddenly came up with a highly accessible pop album. Perfect sequencing. Perfect atmosphere and very strong song-writing. My favourite record from 1998.
👍
Jul 24 2022
View Author
5
This album felt like not only multiple genres coming together, but multiple eras as well. It transitioned between themes really well and the songwriting was sneakily intricate. Probably my favorite discovery so far
👍
Jul 17 2022
View Author
5
Genius album one of the finest.
👍
May 20 2022
View Author
5
Very chill, beautiful and an easy listen. I really liked this. Some of the songs here make me feel emotions that don't exist. "Goddess on a Hiway" was amazing, so were all the songs after it, finishing off with "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp". "I Collect Coins" reminds me of something and I can't put my finger on it.. really, there were no bad songs here. I don't have anything to complain about.
👍
Apr 27 2022
View Author
5
The half-sister of the Flaming Lips' 'The Soft Bulletin', I've had a soft spot for this album for many years.
Delicate and emotive music that rises and falls, with Jonathan Donahue's feeble and vulnerable voice sitting beautifully amongst the quiet moments and riding the crescendos of the weirdly instrumented music.
Listening with an objective and critical ear, it could be said that about half of the tracks are quite forgettable. However, as a piece it is much greater than the sum of its parts and is really quite sublime.
Rating: 5/5
Playlist track: Goddess on a Hiway
Date listened: 26/04/22
👍
Feb 18 2022
View Author
5
very good, eclectic interesting sound. Very good with repeated plays.
👍
Jan 28 2022
View Author
5
I remember getting a dodgy copy of this out of curiosity from a lad at our school who'd got a CD burner, on the strength of Goddess on a Hiway.
Holes, Tonite It Shows and Endlessly are a great opening trio, and open up this world of slightly pop, slightly odd miniature symphonic pop. It's so wonderful.
I Collect Coins is a nice, slight palate cleanser after that, then Opus 40 is straight back with the beauty again.
Then, finally, a did, with the bland Hudson Line. Then another palate cleanser with The Happy End - given its subtitle it's surprisingly enjoyable!
Then the sublime Goddess on a Hiway. Just a perfect single. Every note, every play on words adds to it's slightly sinister beauty.
It then goes very dark, and slightly less food for a couple of tracks, before going big and joyous to finish with Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp.
All in all, a joyous, moving experience.
👍
Jan 27 2022
View Author
5
Never heard this before - so good.
👍
Dec 19 2021
View Author
5
that album was so gosh darn beautiful that I listened to it again immediately after finishing it the first time
definitely one of those albums too good for me to rate
it’s not my FAVORITE album but it’s absolutely in the top five
its got so many diverse songs that hit that sweet spot of different genres I’m a sucker for
Holes reminded me of Beach House
I Collect Coins gave me major Caretaker vibes
and The Funny Bird kinda sounded like Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy
overall just such an incredible album
I’ll try looking into their other stuff if it holds up the same quality
👍
Dec 16 2021
View Author
5
Another band I was familiar with by name only so I had no idea what to expect from this Buffalo NY band - within 20 seconds I thought of the Flaming Lips (having been introduced to them by the otherworldly "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"). Apparently the two bands are or have been connected so I wasn't too far off...
...and in terms of immediate impact on me it is/was the same: I immediately had to stop what I was doing to listen to "Holes" which has a cinematic feel to it, almost visual in its melodies, which continues throughout the album.
A vast array of instrumentation - strings, horns, woodwinds, keyboards - make each song consistently engaging; the songwriting keeps each song evolving.
If there's a negative that I'm sure will be noted, it could be the fluttery and maybe... not-so-textbook lead vocals :D - I could definitely see that being a turnoff for some but instead for me it works perfectly with and for the music, bringing a vulnerability to the gorgeous and haunting melodies.
Overall this is an amazing experience and - like many great albums - not too long at 45 minutes; like "Yoshimi..." before it this album was a revelation for me. If you look for something a bit different yet terrifically melodic and ultimately re-playable (assuming so - I'm on my 3rd spin of it today) this is an absolute keeper.
9/10 5 stars.
👍
Oct 13 2021
View Author
5
Magnificent from start to finish.
👍
Aug 23 2021
View Author
5
wonderful example of the nineties psychedelic/shoegaze pop. in the same vein as flaming lips and mazzy star. really enjoyed the spaced out instrumentation and ethereal textures. feels like im stoned or dead
👍
Jul 02 2021
View Author
5
very good stuff i will listen to this bands other discography this was a good album!
👍
May 18 2021
View Author
5
Dónde ha estado este disco toda mi vida
👍
May 17 2021
View Author
5
fucking incredible
👍
Apr 27 2021
View Author
5
Never heard this album before—maybe the first song on a Pandora station once. It was like Daniel Johnston and Flaming Lips but with better composition. Like the flaming lips simple but thick bass lines and drum beats filled the back end and twangy voices and guitars, saws, synths, theramyns filled the high end. A lot of weird but well made compositions, very fairytale fantasy, but also with an edge of darkness—a magic mushroom fantasy land. I would love to see this band live, their breakdowns and crescendos are something to behold, almost god speed you. Kitschy, odd, cool, psychedelic, playful, dark, satirical all words I’d use to describe this, all things I love. I want to ding them for “Opus 40s” melody being ripped off of the Beatles “Golden Slumbers” chorus. But I’m not. Added to the library and Unexpectedly a 5.
👍
Mar 07 2021
View Author
5
I love this record. It’s nice to revisit it.
👍
Mar 19 2021
View Author
5
That first song has some amazing vocals. His voice sounds a lot like a different singer I know who's name escaped my mind. Love the harmony of the music and the voice. It's quite soothing.
👍
Jun 17 2021
View Author
5
Very flaming lips
👍
Sep 22 2020
View Author
5
That was beautiful
👍
Dec 05 2024
View Author
4
What a pleasant surprise. I made the mistake of reading about the artist and album before actually listening, which allowed my prejudices to kick in and tell me "you ain't gonna like this". They were wrong (for once), the first track was beautifully haunting, and the final track was uplifting and joyous. In between, there were undoubted low points but also many high points. It was difficult to pigeon-hole this music - I could hear many influences throughout such as pop, jazz, soul, rock, etc. I can't quite give it 5 stars, but it's an easy 4 stars.
👍
Dec 04 2024
View Author
4
Hell yeah someone other than Neutral Milk Hotel bringing out the musical saw
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Very unfamiliar with Mercury Rev, but these Deserter Songs are a cool mix of shoegaze and symphonic pop. The sounds between the songs often veer into the dark and cinematic, which checks into the emotional circumstances leading up to the making of this album (ya I read the Wiki article)
HL: "Holes", "I Collect Coins", "Opus 40", "Hudson Line", "Pick Up If You're There", "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp"
December 3, 2024
👍
Nov 29 2024
View Author
4
I am struggling to rate this one. Overall, this is a really good album, but I'm just not into it. I am, however, into a lot of bands that were very clearly influenced by this one, so I feel like I need to give them some more credit.
👍
Nov 27 2024
View Author
4
I like this album, but always thought it was a bit older; it seems dated for 1998. But that's kind of fitting, since it also feels anachronistic, retrofuturistic, electromechanical. An album from an alternate timeline where rock bands have instruments like a saw.
Aesthetically I think it fits in with the Elephant 6 bands, or with slower Smashing Pumpkins songs like 'Tonight, Tonight' and 'Thirty-Three'. It feels cold and distant; I think the album artwork fits it perfectly, if that makes sense. I got drunk and high and fell asleep while listening to it a second time, which I suppose is an endorsement, but not necessarily a full-throated one.
👍
Nov 25 2024
View Author
4
Like this!
👍
Nov 21 2024
View Author
4
Saw them recently - still a top band.
👍
Nov 04 2024
View Author
4
General impression: lush, wondrous and strange.
Detailed review: What is this? I’ve heard the name Mercury Rev before but never had enough to get properly curious. Apparently they’re somewhat connected with The Flaming Lips, mainly through the producer Dave Fridmann. Anyway, they do sound like the Lips, but they strike me as softer, sadder and a little more grounded. I fell in love with the first song immediately, and each track after it seemed to create its own little sound-world, an ability I adore in good bands.
I had to give this two listens, because I was very impressed on my first listen, but I’m wary about giving albums a 5 after only one cursory listen. After the second, my score has reduced a little, but I still remain very happy with the discovery of this album. It’s a lot more vibrant and creative than I expected, and I’ll definitely be returning to it.
Deeper thoughts (context): Time to dive into some more Mercury Rev albums, and this also might kick off a Flaming Lips phase too.
Score: 4.4 (4)
Number of albums left to review: 965
Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 20 (including this one)
Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 16
👍
Nov 01 2024
View Author
4
Earlier this year, I happened upon a well-executed interview from 2002. Carson Daly was the interviewer and his subject was David Bowie...
Here was part of their exchange:
CD: I've seen you at the MTV Video Music Awards. I think like last year I remember sitting there when N’sync or Britney Spears was on and I remember just looking over at you and thinking what does David Bowie think of this right now?
...Crowd laughs... Bowie looks around and says- "well that would be too easy" or something and smiles...
DB: Uh let me go another way with that one. I think you know a major band in this country for me anyway during the 80s were the Pixies. I thought they were absolutely necessary - a very very important band - Charles was, or Frank, whatever or however you want to refer to him, is a fantastic songwriter and they produced some really exciting music. Obviously Nirvana was terribly influenced - a number of other bands were influenced by them. But, they were never played on American radio, they never sold any albums, and they broke up.
I'm seeing that beginning to happen again over here. You got bands like Grandaddy, Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips – They (Flaming Lips) are getting some kind of exposure now right this second , but if they don't get played, they don't sell albums, then, if you're not careful they're going to go under. And more creative, really inventive artists are going to disappear after 2 or 3 years because nobody's out there supporting them. The radio isn't supporting like it should be, and there is crap on American radio - real crap.
...After seeing this interview, I listened to Grandaddy, and was pleasantly surprised. Happy to see Mercury Rev posted here. Bowie was really tuned in...all 3 of those bands are cut from the same cloth, and, as predicted, all but Flamin Lips kind of faded away.
👍
Oct 30 2024
View Author
4
I thought it had some really good songs - but I didn't find myself to be head over heels for them
👍
Oct 30 2024
View Author
4
Actually a nice album. Very complex. I liked all the string instruments
👍
Oct 27 2024
View Author
4
Really enjoyed the album. Such a distinct mix of songs. Opus 40 and Goddess on a Hiway were my favs
👍
Oct 25 2024
View Author
4
It's very hard not to hear the Flaming Lips while listening to this. They have a similar sound, but maybe a tiny bit less weird and a pinch more dreamy. I will listen to this again.
👍
Oct 24 2024
View Author
4
I went into this totally blind. I’ve never heard of them, don’t even know what genre they are. Having finished the album, I still can’t say what genre :)
This is a very chill album and I ended up liking it. It’s quirky, and fun and calming.
Favorite tracks- Goddess on a Hiway, The Funny Bird, Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp.
4
👍
Oct 24 2024
View Author
4
It was pretty soothing
👍
Oct 20 2024
View Author
4
I liked this one
👍
Oct 16 2024
View Author
4
Never heard of this band and was surprised at how much I liked this. Catchy tunes, good production, nice variety. Will listen to more by them.
👍