Deserter's Songs

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.

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?

Holes alone is a 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"

Sometimes the drugs do work

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

Not bad, but didn’t really get me excited. Not annoying though.

Kind of a Tim Burton twist on The Flaming Lips. I like.

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.

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

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

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”.

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)

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

I didn’t listen to the entire album but what I heard was alright, if a little maudlin. 3*

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.

Is this actual music, or the soundtrack to Plan 9 From Outer Space? COOL IT WITH THE FUCKING THEREMIN! Would not recommend.

I really enjoyed this! It reminds me a lot of The Flaming Lips. Very cinematic and haunting

Here a lot of influence here. Way ahead of its time.

I liked this way more than I expected. All the songs are good, and it’s pretty different from other albums on the list.

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.

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

Schramm

An absolute favourite of mine - opus 40 and goddess on a hiway transport me back to my student days where life was simpler - immense

Every song feels like some kind of disturbing fairytale

Such a great record, and a perfect companion piece to The Soft Bulletin. Too many highlights to count.

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.

Wonderful stuff. Chill and serine.

Bloody hell I love this album.

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

Fantastic. Goddamn do I love the strings, and the instrumental interludes are awesome. Great album with a great atmosphere

Adore. Not listened to this in full for so long but what a joy.

4.75

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)

What a surprise! Loved this album. Reminded me of The Flaming Lips or the Polyphonic Spree.

One of the most beautiful albums I’ve heard. The musical notes are well done and voice is beautiful!

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).

Surprisingly great, for such a gnangnan album

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

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.

"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.

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.

Indie “The Wall” era Pink Floyd

New to me. Awesome discovery!

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).

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.

I bought it on vinyl. That is all

loved!

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.

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.

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

Perfect for the nights you wanna let it all out. Sequencing is amazing

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.

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

4.5/5

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.

Totaly new for me and i love it!

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

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

I loved the whimsy and experimentation of this. A new favorite!

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

WOW. the website made a strong first impression. holy wow. how is this totally my shit...? wowza.

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.

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.

Absolutely loved this, great discovery for me, thank you

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!

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.

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

Genius album one of the finest.

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.

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

very good, eclectic interesting sound. Very good with repeated plays.

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.

Never heard this before - so good.

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

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.

Magnificent from start to finish.

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

very good stuff i will listen to this bands other discography this was a good album!

Dónde ha estado este disco toda mi vida

fucking incredible

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.

I love this record. It’s nice to revisit it.

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.

Very flaming lips

That was beautiful

Fun album to listen to. You can see where a lot of indie rock may have been inspired.

why does "Endlessly" have Silent Night in it.

I randombly discovered this album in my parents' CD collection and I really enjoyed it. It is very airy and poppy neo-psychedelia, with lots of infectious earworms. Recommended. Key tracks: Holes Endlessly Opus 40 Goddess on a Hiway

I really liked this album a lot. It started very strong but kind of went up and down after. They kind of hurt themselves with how many instrumentals there are, but you can tell that’s just what they wanted to do. Very flaming lips sound

Not to be confused with Deserted Songs

Mercury Rev came to me in the middle of the night or rather that twilight period between wake and sleep. Few years ago now but I was listening to Bob Harris late Saturday night program on Radio 2 and must have nodded off but was awoken softly by the enchanting sound of Snowflake in a Hot World from a later album than this. But that made an impression on me and led me to discover more of Mercury Rev. So I was familiar with this album and is a good representation of what Mercury Rev are about. I like their later albums more but this is a solid one full of delightful music. 4/5 26/12/24

definitely in the relisten pile. it doesn't obviously grab me from the start but i think that it's one of those albums that will grow on you. very spacey and cool

Unique and creative.

Drugged and dreamy. Flaming Lips' cousin delivers melancholy tunes.

J’ai été agréablement surpris de voir qu’il y avait une version instrumentale de l’album, compte tenu de la qualité vocale questionnable du chanteur. Ma critique portera donc sur cette version, car il me reste encore un peu d’amour-propre. Donc, c’est bon? Oui, même hyper-super bon. Il y a une grande diversité de style et de textures sonores qui donne une profondeur aux compositions, rendant l’écoute jamais ennuyante. Si le générateur avait spécifié cette version, j’aurais peut-être donné un cinq, mais compte tenant le chanteur, eeeuh 4 jsuis généreux

High 4. Mercury Rev are class! Couple of filler tracks but the rest is good.

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.

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

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.