Reviews (page 4 of 8)
a couple of interesting songs. it was fine, not amazing
3/5 Favorite Songs: Holes Opus 40 Hudson Line Goddess on a Hiway The Funny Bird
it's pretty good, but i didn't like the type of singing if that makes sense? in terms of the sound, like in a misophobia-esque way so Unfortunately that takes it down to a 3 for me. still really good production on this!
Some real nice chord changes and melodies
The similarities with The Flaming Lips are obvious, but where the Lips keeps your attention and full of surprises is this album more predictable. A few nice songs, especially in the second part of the album, but also some songs that could be easily skipped. 3/5
holes: banger, the rest, preeetty disappointing
Banco, las primeras dos canciones buenas, después se pone medio extraño. Quizá lo escucharía de nuevo, me interesa saber más de la banda y del tipo de música.
The first track was awesome to listen to with an early morning orange sunrise in the background. After that I found the rest of the album to just be ok. This style of music usually isn't my thing and while it didn't make me a fan, I didn't hate that I had to listen to it. 3/5
Great first song, but the others are only Ok.
This wasn't really what I expected based on the album art. I thought it would be more rock and less chamber pop. I did like it, but it wasn't transcend ant, classic 3 star fare. The first couple of tracks had an instrument that really sounded like a theremin to me but looking at the personnel list on Wikipedia nobody is credited as the theremin player, so I guess it's a bowed saw? Always cool to learn about some instrument I never knew existed before
Was good!
좋음
Not bad! New to me. Some cool moments and some indulgent spacey strings etc
Not my type of music. There were a couple of good songs but for the most part it was pretty boring. I'll give it a three because like I said, there were a couple of decent songs and the musicianship is excellent but I don't like the singer's voice very much
Interesting, but not my style.
Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev was a really enjoyable listen. Their sound is incredibly dreamy and whimsical, built around beautiful melodies and rich arrangements that make the album feel very different from most other bands and genres. At times it almost feels more like a film soundtrack than a traditional rock album. There’s a warmth and atmosphere running throughout the record that makes it very easy to sink into. The orchestration and production are excellent, and while the album can drift a little in places, it never loses its charm. Songs like “Holes”, “Opus 40” and especially “Goddess on a Hiway” really stood out and gave the album some genuinely memorable moments. Overall, this is an album I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to and one that creates a really unique mood from start to finish. Favourite tracks: “Goddess on a Hiway” is a superb song. “Holes” and “Opus 40” were also highlights Least favourite tracks: “Endlessly” felt a little too much like a Christmas carol for me — it gave off strong “Silent Night” vibes Album artwork: Dark album cover, but I really like it
I liked this. I thought it was, at times, soothing and kind of lovely.
Favorite songs: Holes, I Collect Coins, Opus 40, Goddess on a Hiway, The Funny Bird, Pick Up If You're There Reminds me of Flaming Lips + some Polyphonic Spree 3.5
Funny thing. I have this album but I never really listen to it that much. I know one song from this record for sure, the others I have heard but don't remember. I will be seeing them in concert this week in fact. I think it is a very good record.
I must've listened to at least 5 albums like "Deserter's Songs". Chamber pop must be second to post-punk when it comes to quantity over quality. "Deserter's Songs" isn't the latter (fortunately) for the most part. The parts I did loathe include "The Happy End"; that piano improv did not need to be there. Luckily, tracks like "Goddess on a Hiway" stopped me from giving the album a lower rating. 3 stars for "Deserter's Songs".
This album is definitely not my favourite. While listening to it much of it sounded like it was an undertale fan band with some intermission songs that wouldn't have sounded out of place. I just found it to be very bland. Fav song: Hudson Line Least Fav: I collect coins
Fine (even good, at some points!!) production but the singer is just not good. Also I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear the last three songs. 3/5
7/10 Buen album, divertido. No resalta nada pero tampoco es malo, cumplidor
Again another album that’s fine and pleasant enough in the background but doesn’t really make you sit up and take notice!
I liked The Beatles influence in their songs. It was all over the place. Didn’t give it a fair enough listen to give higher than a three, though. It’s me, not you.
Que som triste, mas ao mesmo tempo acolhedor. Parece uma lembrança de adolescência que nunca vivi. Um som misterioso, eu to curtindo. Tinha potencial, mas da metade pra frente começou a não me interessar, foda, tava com expectativa. Quase chegou no 4. Vai ficar com 3*.
Pretty uncanny resemblance to flaming lips in the vocals. This was fine, not sure why it's on this list.
Liked it more than I thought I would. Big, full sounds on a lot of these tracks. Reminded me a lot of 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea', after some research it seems my suspicions were correct. Pretty neat. Favorite Track: The Funny Bird, although the last track 'Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp' was pretty cool.
One of their better ones. Shame they never sounded half as good on record, one of the best live bands ever.
Listened twice to this today, never heard of the band and not sure why this is marked firstly as shoegaze as there is none of that here, maybe one of their other albums is - I don't know. However this is quite an enjoyable ride, psychedelic, some ambient, some baroque pop influences. Really quite good alternative album, 3 stars for sure and 3.0 on RYM. Possibly artist to revisit?
We have the Flaming Lips at home. 3/5
Pleasant! Not a huge fan of the vocals but they’re suitable. This isn’t a bad album, maybe just not entirely for me. I think the more I listened the less I enjoyed. Closer to a 4.
Liked couple of these
It's a 3, inoffensive
3.5/5
Relativity interesting this here one. There is alot to like here. But also an almost equally amount I dont like. Its too spacey and ethereal gor alot of it for my tastes. But they want to they can push out a good all around song. Holes is a great starter. Got me very optimistic right off the bat. But then I loose that feeling pretty quick. There are moments over the next songs but I just dont get a full song that im into until the funny bird. But thats the story here. A band who can make stuff im into but not on a consistent basis im looking for. Its not bad in any way, even good but just not that much for me. Im not against looking deeper into these guys. So thats something
actually kinda peakk
There are a few kinda nice dream-rock epics like Goddess On A Hiway but a chain of flat songs early on, some nasty MIDI-ish orchestral textures plus the underwater Strong Sad vocals keep this away from true greatness. I have to fashion a Mercury Shiv to ice this from the list unfortunately, or should I say strongsadly.
para poner de fondo
Unknown band for me. OK to Good album.
Interesting but ultimately not my thing
This had just enough to keep me interested. Worth a listen but not particularly notable.
Briefly thought I was listening to Death Cab for a minute. Does Endlessly sample Silent Night??? Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp >>>>>
3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mercury-rev/deserters-songs/ While I quite liked some songs, as they reminded me of things like Flaming Lips or Destroyer a bit, there were too many instrumental intermezzos that couldn’t keep my attention. Might increase appreciation upon relistening tho.
Musically this album is pretty fine, but what mostly holds it back for me is the guy's voice. God damn, it just doesn't fit the music outside of a few songs. If nearly anyone else was singing, this would absolutely be my jam, but unfortunately I just felt a disconnect with his voice.
i like "goddess on a hiway" and "the funny bird". otherwise this album doesn't really do too much for me. much prefer what they have going on in "the secret migration".
There is a pretty strong fan base for this album. Perhaps it sounded great in its day, or perhaps I just need more time with it. The album had a nice center section: “Hudson Line,” “Opus 40,” and “Goddess on a Hiway.” The first of these especially grabbed my attention. But overall, the album wasn’t pulling me in too close, not on first listen anyway. I was more curious about what the next album might be…. Oh! Tom Waits. Cool.
Solid
Surprisingly, a very pleasant listen. Not particularly unique or distinctive, but it fits perfectly with today’s cloudy mood
7/10
Intensamente alternativo
Not sure who this is for
Listening to this one while on the road on a weekend. I don't know, but for some reason the phrase that keeps coming to mind is that the songs have a sense whimsy. Like if it were a Beatles album, it would feel like it's definitely Paul influenced. Or it could just be random irrelevant road thoughts. I liked it, but very little stuck out as great (the first track, but that's about it).
There are some good songs here, I think this is worth a second listen
Can really hear the flaming lips connection here. The first song sounds exactly like them. While this album had its moments, and I did enjoy the cinematic aspects of it (apparently the band initially formed to score the band memebrs student films), I found it a little bit of a slog on the whole. The singer kinda sings like a bitch imo.
Flaming Lips-esque but just not as weird. Helium vocals and Friedmann production makes a solid album. There's a couple of bangers on here and the production keeps everything interesting. Enjoyable, yes. Essential, no. Best Tracks: Holes; Tonite It Shows; Goddess on a Hiway
Some great songs but some that are a bit flat, far too much Theramin which distracts from what are often exquisitely lush underlying arrangements. I can see this album being quite polarising, overall I like it also feels like a missed opportunity. 3.3
Not really strong feelings about this one. I guess it was quite good, but I found the vocal kinda annoying, and only the last song really captured my attention. Fave Song: Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp 3.2/5
It was an alright one. Very dreamy and hazy record, it has a nice contrast of acoustic-focused and some noisy - bordering on shoegaze - tunes with both sort of songs having poppy hooks. The vocals are pretty androgynous and the album is overall quite nocturnal. I'd say I liked it other than the last couple tracks. Highlight Song/s: "Tonite It Show", "Hudson Line", "Goddess on a Hiway" and "The Funny Bird
BOOOOOOOOOOORING. Opus 40 was pretty good. Hudson Line picks up the pace a little bit, but it's all offset by The Happy End which was nails on a chalkboard. This isn't a bad album, it's just not particularly great. Glad I listened to it and there's some decent moments but overall just not interested in returning to it again.
Weird, but fun! I loved the last song.
Ok...is that a fucking saw he's playing on the first track? Interesting start. Track 3 and the saw is back, with some high pitched synth generated wailing. This definitely isn't an album you want to get stuck on a plane with. Yet here I am, in a descent, ears popping and this high pitched cacophony in my ears. I am totally clueless coming into this album. Is it a band? Or a guy in his bedroom with a lot of electronics (and a saw) and Apple Garage Band? I'm thinking the latter. I guess the best I can say about this is it had kept my interest. But it's not something I'll need adding to my playlist.
This is incredibly soft and verging on two-star territory, but saved by a couple of good songs on the back half.
I suspect that this might be an album that grows on me with future listens, but today it didn't quite sit right. Will probably revisit this review with the edit option in a few weeks.
Let's keep it rolling with little known English alternative bands. I'm a big fan of Mercury Rev’s “All Is Dream” and I'm honestly baffled why they chose DS over AID. This album is fine but mainly sounds like Flaming Lips b-sides. It has some interesting moments but is so inferior to AID, I have to wonder if whomever voted for this has ever heard AID
Not my favorite album, but it was fun to listen to. I’ll keep it on hand for spooky board game sessions with friends!
2017 rock, sounds older - it was ok. Reminded me of MGMT but not as good.
This is the weird free spirit artsy auntie that encourages the one cousin who is different than the others to follow their passions and that kid takes it to heart and commits really hard and becomes The Olivia Tremor Control
Eh. It wasn't bad.
Solid 3, enjoyed a few songs, but got repetitive
I don't know why, but I really enjoyed this album. Would have given it a 4 if it weren't for the last few songs.
The album started out pretty mediocre with a lot uninteresting music and annoying vocals, but became more progressive later in the album, reaching an apex with The Funny Bird. A lot of moody jazzy instrumental arrangements and technical sounds coming from this track that I really enjoyed. It was surprising to dislike just about everything I was hearing from this album with the surprise exception of that song. Ultimately, two weak tracks close out the album and leave a totally forgettable impression upon me.
I hear a lot here that was interpreted by my favorite frontman-led bands (Destroyer, Flaming Lips). But this one just didn't resonate a ton with me. I like what he's going for, never heard of the artist before.
A pleasant enough album full of chamber and dream pop-style songs. I’ve always mean to check out Mercury Rev but never got round to it. After listening to Deserter’s Songs, I’m probably in no rush to explore their discography in further detail right now. The song that stayed with me the most was the instrumental, Pick Up If You’re There. Something about the (I assume) wailing guitars reminded me of Godspeed You! Black Emperor (specifically Sleep). A good listen but nothing too memorable.
This does not pass the wimpyness smell test.
This is #day557 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… ah, here's to some chamber pop from the late '90s for this frosty Monday afternoon. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day558.
A strange but satisfying album. The vocals lack a lot of effort but they fit the format quite well.
The funny bird me gustó bastante. Las demás no están mal. No me gusta su voz igual.
Interesting album, alot going on. Standout songs: Endlessly The funny bird Delta sun bottleneck stomp
5.29
The fuck was the last track about
Pretty good. I recognised a few tracks but didn't know the artist.
A canção inicial do álbum me enganou um pouco. Dela eu presumi que o disco seria lindo, com instrumentais épicos e dramáticos, e vocais femininos delicados e reconfortantes. Essa vocalista não se encontra em outras canções do álbum, sendo substituída por um vocalista homem cujo trabalho me lembra um pouco Ween misturado com Flaming Lips. Os instrumentais são variados, percorrendo uma grande gama de sons e instrumentos. Bem experimental, mas nem sempre com resultados alegres. O disco possui uma qualidade quase que cartunesca. Provavelmente atribuído aos sons empregados e ao estilo vocal do cantor. Tudo soa um pouco plástico e mediano, pedestre. E subitamente em seu ato final, o disco decide jogar umas faixas assombrosas e sombrias, acho que só pra nos atiçar com o que poderia ter sido, em um mundo onde ele é mais interessante e engajante. Salvei as canções mais interessantes, e descartei o resto. Não é uma escuta ruim, mas não chega a ser boa. Gostei das faixas que me lembraram Flaming Lips, não gostei do resto. Mid tier. 3/5
Never heard of Mercury Rev before. It's a bit of a hit and miss album. A number of tracks have vocals that seem to be sung out of tune - not by much but enough to be jarring to my ears. Endlessly seems to contain snippets of the Christmas Carol Silent Night tune. I don't know if that's deliberate but it doesn't seem to fit with the theme of the track. Then there are good tracks like Opus 40 (sung in tune), Hudson Line and Goddess on a Huway (musically good). On average the better tracks seem to outweight the poor ones.
I had never heard of this band. Now I have. The Funny Bird is my pick from this album
Pretty chilled out kind of emo music. Effects applied to the vocals are kind of cool but maybe over done. Overall though it's not bad and I actually listened to it a couple of times. It's something I could see myself putting on while I'm doing some other activity like reading or playing chess etc. No too aggressive but still rocks.
I am neutral on this one. Had some nice melodies but at times sounded like music from a science fiction film. Not something I will go back to.
I had never heard of this band before and I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t necessarily this. Some pleasant, some not so pleasant.
Was ok, but didn’t wow me
Opening track had me excited for this album - had to google if the singer was Wayne Coyne. The album feels diverse including sections that feel like Batman movie soundtrack or something but in the end kind of a muddled mess. 3/5
5/10
It sounds all throughout very carefully constructed and music first made album. It really sounds sincerely made. Even though it doesn't work for me always that feeling gives good vibes.
I've seen Mercury Rev at least twice, once at an outdoor festival and once contained in a box somewhere. I can't tell you many concrete details about their performances other than to say they didn't sound fully formed the first time and maybe that was partially due to all the airy space between us and it was early in their career. And, the second time I saw them my feelings are a little more elusive but I'm not going to lie I was a little bored at the time given I was there to see the other band. They have always seemed like I band critics wished I'd like more than I did, a band the press would cheer for or write about as some kind of darling meanwhile I couldn't find the thread in the songs that pulled me through a whole album or set. Maybe it's this particular record though with Dave Fridmann juggling the recording of Deserter's Songs and The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin or maybe it's just that I finally came into a time to hear what was going on with a more open mind but I came around on Deserter's Songs with this 1001-related listen.
Some good music ruined by the annoying singing saw
Had never heard of this album or any of these songs. They were fine. Cool connection to the soft bulletin and that Levon and Garth are on here.
Täysin tuntematon levy ja esittäjä. Ihan hyvää musiikkia, jossa käytettiin paljon jousi- ja puhallinsoittimia. Ihan kauheasti en pitänyt laulajan äänestä.
Everything about this seemed really well done, I just didn't enjoy it all that much.
After owning their earlier album, Yerself is Steam, I was not prepared for this version of Mercury Rev. From noisy chaos to serene and symphonic (and an occasional likeness to Neil Young's voice)? Once I got over the shock of my expectation, I liked it. And I guess I need to listen to more to see what else they morphed into. - Heard before? No - Will I listen again? Maybe? - Does it inspire me to listen to more of this artist? Yes.
first half a little iffy but the the last half is really great. it sounds a bit tacky and dated and simultaneously futuristic and ahead of its time. its very confusing stylistically but, once you get over that its pretty good
What an odd album. Mainly in a good way, and a total mystery (to me) why it captured hearts in the UK and Europe, but I suspect it had a lot to do with how the Chemical Brothers had a hand in promoting the album, as well as creating a fantastic remix of "Delta sun bottleneck stomp" that probably drove many people to the band (and their remix in the sitcom "Spaced" probably helped a lot too). It's fascinating that it was recorded in the same studio and at the same time as The Flaming Lips were recording "The Soft Bulletin"; this album definitely sounds like it could have been a Flaming Lips album (and also fascinating that lead man Jonathan Donahue was the guitarist for The Flaming Lips for a stint just before this album). I'm not sure I had too many favorite tracks on this album, just because I'm not really all that much of a fan of Donahue's warbly vocals, but I can see why "Opus 40" and "Goddess on a hiway" became their singles from the album, and "Holes" and "Tonite it shows" are also fun for the way they channel Donahue's inspiration for the album, "Tale Spinners for Children". Also cool to know that they not only holed up in the Catskills to escape the deep downward spiral of their lives at that point, but managed to get The Band's Garth Hudson and Levon Helm to play on a couple of tracks. And many many props for the awesomely named custom instrument(ish), "Tettix Wave Accumulator", in the hidden track of "Delta sun bottleneck stomp" (and according to Wikipedia the Tettix Wave Accumulator was collecting dust in the basement of a bar in 2009...).
5.5/10 - This is the album I have had to listen to the most times to come up with a ranking. The start is so strong that it left me with a sense of doubt about my feelings on the rest of the album. After multiple multiple reviews I feel assured that this album starts really high and drops quite quickly afterwards.
I remember when this came out it was compared mostly favorably to Soft Bulletin. I can’t help but feel it still lives in that shadow. Some good stuff but mostly just fine.
Wow, what a phenomenal first track. Left me wondering if it’d be a one-hit wonder type deal or a hidden gem, and it’s really somewhere in the middle. I was bored until Hudson Line which picked things back up and stayed rolling, Goddess on a Hiway is gorgeous and the rest continues to feel lush, but I was very surprised that it wasn’t as old as I thought. It sounds dated in a good way to me.
a fun listen; would listen again.
Very chill album. Decent variety.
Havenr heard oh them. Very unique fushion, atmospheric
6.5/10
Music is amazing but once again vocals...
Overall not bad. Not life changing or anything, but enjoyable.
Not too bad! Sounds like Flaming lips or Grandaddy from that same time period. 3 solid stars.
Um...honestly, I have no words. What did I just experience here? Like...it's mid, but what happened lol
Enjoyed but I won’t remember listening to this a month from now
Nipplers
Eh
Decent album.
Hmm... not bad, but also not great
Unique album. The lore of it and the soft bulletin being a pair is real good. Psychedelic indie. Hudson Line
kinda sick
Klinkt alsof het ook dit jaar gemaakt zou kunnen zijn. Ik heb het idee dat deze sound wel een beetje terug is onder de hipsterbandjes. Ook deze is weer erg theatraal. Vreemd genoeg vind ik hem toch nog wel leuk om een keer te luisteren. Ik ben er niet zo van onder de indruk als de band zelf denk ik. 3 sterren omdat ik een klein beetje murw gebeukt ben door het recente aanbod en een kinderhand is gauw gevuld nu.
Pretty enjoyable stuff but there is just so much filler I can't give this 4 stars
Standard American indie rock. Not much to write home about.
Favourite Songs: Holes Endlessly
++: Tonite It Shows, Endlessly, I Collect Coins, Hudson Line, The Funny Bird +: Holes, Pick Up If You're There +-: Opus 40, Goddes on a Hiway, Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp -: The Happy End (The Drunk Room) 7,2/10
You could tell me that Opus 40 and Goddess on a Hiway are Flaming Lips songs and I'd probably believe you. This album feels like it's missing something to make it good. Maybe starting with the strings. The synthesized strings this album uses sound off, I guess out of place is more what I'm looking for, but I don't know really how to describe it. Anyways, speaking of The Flaming Lips, this album sounds like it's trying to replicate Clouds Taste Metallic, just replacing a lot of the whimsy with more direct meaning and strings. When it works, it really works, especially on Opus 40, but it doesn't work too often.
A couple of gems but overall the album is a bit same-y
I haven't heard about this band, I was surprised to read this was voted as the best album in the UK in 1998. The album, especially the first half sounds like a soundtrack to a fairy tale from the 19th century. It's pleasant and nice at first listen. It works well as an album overall. Though none of the songs stood out, maybe I need more listens and I might round it up to 4 stars.
3.5 I recently rediscovered the song Holes and played it for a couple weeks because it was hitting so hard. This rating is riding hard on that one song, I also liked Hudson Line and Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp. However the production of the other songs came off as B movie canned score quality, which is harsh, but I think works for Holes because they overlay great lyrics and fantastic dreamy music over this music. What I’m talking about is glaring at the end of DSBS
Has a very cool energy. Tonite It Shows got that spooky Christmas vibe. Wild theremin moments. Vocals don’t do a ton for me. I Collect Coins is interesting, that fucked up tape sound that’s so popular now. There are some cool production moves all over this record. Has an interesting sonic signature. The very end of the record is a wild move haha. Some Stravinsky/Bela Bartok/Zelda combat music. It was an enjoyable listen, songwriting wise didn’t grab me, but definitely some interesting production and instrumentation moves.
I enjoyed this album fine from Mercury Rev! The main singer’s voice was a little eccentric and different which was intriguing. This album was a little cooky and different from what I usually listen to which made for an interesting experience. Overall, I enjoyed this album but it wouldn’t be my first choice for an album that I would revisit again.
This album felt like less twee Flaming Lips.
These are some really talented musicians and their compositions are quite sophisticated. I'll have to listen to them and explore their albums more. As good as I think they are, at first listen I didn't hear anything that really grabbed me, although the last couple of minutes of "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" were pretty cool.
My first intuition about this album was that it looks like the most 3/5 album ever. And what do you know, the rating for it was 3.01, so I was spot on. And it really is a pretty good 3/5 album too. Some very nice tracks here, some underwhelming ones, you know how it goes. Really liking how 90s it sounds and feels.
A couple of really majestic songs don’t make up for the overly quirky feeling I got from this. Just not enough to latch on for me to really love it beyond appreciating the musicianship.
Odd and not really my thing but not bad either
Genre: Chamber Pop A very capital-B BIG album. Lots of swelling strings, large production value type elements, and not too full of itself which I appreciated. Some great moments, but not enough to feel like this deserved entry in the book. May re-listen on a rainy day, good atmosphere, but pretty meh. 3/5
une cocotte qui siffle, papi aussi
the happy end = professeur layton mystique bien 3 mais le rock truc voix geniarde plz stop 1001 album
Checking back into this on a Monday after the weekend spaced out my listening to this album and having to rewrite my review following a computer crash. I have no memory of this album. It's name, music, style and themes have been forgotten. That tells me everything about this album's presence on this list. 3/5
I’m not sure what to think about this album it’s doing so much stuff
the forst song had my hopes up and his american accent threw me off
Sounds ok, but not catchy at all
Exemplar of mid
fine. recognize one song
I'm not sure what I'm listening. One or two good songs to me
I liked this a lot. It was on in the background and it felt like it fit well with the rest of my music to the point I didn’t realize it was new to me
liked it
Never sure I like it or not
Vibes: 3/5 Instruments: 3/5 Production: 3/5 Emotional Value: 2/5 Storytelling: 2/5 Stand Outs: Tonite It Shows, The Funny Bird Overall Rating: 2.6
spacey chamber rock music that sounds dreary and rough. this band was already feeling the heat due to their last album not selling as well, so they all went to a secluded area in new york to write some meaningful and experimental material. this album is very... murky. this is chamber pop that leans heavily in its neo-classical influence. a lot of tracks, while swampy and mysterious, the strings and woodwinds add a certain... unique flavor overall to the music. it's... something alright. it sounds like a haunted gramaphone playing a ballroom song. not sure what i can say about it. i hope that these guys ended up feeling better after this album came out.
There is a lot going on here. Fairly solid for a good chunk of it, just some weird stuff towards the end.
Much better than I thought. Sounds like flaming lips
3.5
The Funny Bird Pick Up If You're There. Enjoyed while record but these are the two tracks I went straight back to.
There are parts of this I enjoyed but there are parts that sound like music which belong to a weird cartoon movie
Gear: 64 Audio Duo Artwork: 💊🚬❄ Production (2011 Remaster): 🌬️😇⚖️ Music: 🌌🎬👻 Ratinng: 🍚🍚🍚/5
Album #937 I've never heard of this band before. It's hard music to categorize. Sort of ethereal with strings, and ... I don't know really. One song reminded me of the Beatles' Golden Slumbers. The singer is higher pitched though, like Supertramp. A couple of tracks stood out to me. Goddess on a Hiway and The Funny Bird.
I remember hearing "Goddess On A Hiway" on Jo Whiley's Channel 4 show and immediately falling in love with it, the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to this nostalgic high, even though its Flaming Lips coded, but it's pretty alright overall.
I guess I'll start this review by talking about the whole Flaming Lips thing. So, this album, Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev, has been frequently compared to the works of the Flaming Lips, specifically their 1999 album The Soft Bulletin. Now, the two albums do have legitimate factual connections, mainly on the production side of things, so there is reason for the two to be associated with each other from a historical standpoint. But what about a musical standpoint? We are here to talk about the music after all. Well, the musical comparisons aren't unwarranted. There are sonic similarities between the two albums. Fortunately, they're not overwhelming. Deserter's Songs stands on its own just fine and avoids the whole "standing in the shadow of a better album" thing. I do prefer The Soft Bulletin myself, but Deserter's Songs is still a good album. It's not "1998 Album of the Year" good like what NME said (because of course it's NME), but still a solid showing. The sounds are neat and varied. You've got what sounds like a whistly type instrument. It might be a bowed saw, but it might be something else. The album sounds good. The writing's solid. The singing's not my favorite, but I don't dislike it. I don't care for every one of this album's songs, but the best ones are pretty damn good. "Holes," "Tonite It Shows," and "Goddess on a Hiway" especially are great. I do like this album quite a bit. I might not go back to it a ton, and I can't call it a must-listen, but I'm glad I did hear. It's nice. High 3/5.
I kept expecting it to pick up but it never did. Really enjoyed this album after the 2nd or 3rd listen.
Pretty cool.
A very dreamy album
After the second listen, I was generally pretty indifferent to this album. Some songs were great and really interesting (the Funny Bird) and others were really not for me. 3/5
The voice is sometimes hard to handle. But there are some really cool moments in this
It started well. Didn’t end so well. 2.5.
Interesting
I really only like the song Holes and the rest of the record just doesn’t do much for me. It’s fine.
Should have read the wiki first. I spent most of the listen wondering why they sounded so much like the Flaming Lips. This was good but I think The Soft Bulletin was the stronger of the two albums.
Amazing at times, wtf at other times
I liked it. Felt like it was going to be similar to a Beach House album off the intro track but was pleasantly surprised by the type of rock ish music it was.
You can definitely feelnthe sonic overlap with Soft Bulletin, but ultimately that album is better. Plus, the singer of this band does that thing where he's pitching his voice like he's singing lullabies for children, and that wears thin over time.
Like a not-as-good Flaming Lips. Individual songs would be almost promising, but ultimately fall a little flat for reasons that were hard to put my finger on. A 3 but a low 3.
Some good stuff
6 Quite nice. Not super nice but really quite nice.
It's ok.
I really like a couple of songs but a whole album got very annoying
god blanding af psychedlia neo, dreamy, chamber agtig. Det er egentlig et meget smukt album og angiveligt er det indspillet af nogle af bandmedlemmerne fra the band, hvilket er rimelig cool. så meget rammer det ikke lige mig, men det kræver nok et revisit. JEg er stadig meget mere til hårdere rock pt og noget som er mere råt.
I didn't like any of the tracks on this album. However, the music didn't bother me either. I don't need to hear it again, but it doesn't make me want to turn it off. 3/5
Has a really pretty first song that feels like an uplifting dream. The rest of the album kinda feels like they're trying to recreate that but it's not as good. Goddess on a Hiway is a bop tho.
This was my first listen and not sure how I missed this band. This is right up my alley. Love the songs and production. Will check out more of their catalog.
Solid þristur. Náði mér ekki alveg í fyrstu en seinna rennslið skárra.
Joissain kappaleissa melodia tai sointukierto kuulostaa jostain klassisesta kappaleesta lainatulta. Ja joissain kappaleessa on sellainen jännä disney musikaali viba, mutta sit on myös suorempaa pop rock soundia ja ne kappaleet on oikeasti ihan hyviäkin. Outo sekoitus näitä. Parhaat: Holes, Goddess on a Hiway, The Funny Bird, Pick Up If You're There
I wonder if this is what having sex with a prostitute is like. All the actions are there, but there is zero attraction or attachment.
Ethereal. Unexpectedly enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this even though some of it sounds like ride queue theme music at thorpe park
Oh I wish I enjoyed this more, annoying vocals and timbres ruin it. I didn't hate it though
Why does this remind me of the Flaming Lips?
It was ok. Sort of like Flaming Lips Lite.
Nekako, nešto ovdje funkcioniše. 2-3 pjesme se baš ističu, ostalo se zaboravi dok se sluša. Čak i te bolje pjesme su sve što mi inače smeta ali dosta fine.
I think I like this, but I'm not stoned enough to fully enjoy this style of music.
found out these guys recorded this same time and place as the flaming lips’ soft bulletin album (which i gave 5 stars) this record was interesting, i’ve never heard of these guys before, the style was unusual but i had no problem with it, only complaint is that i found the first few tracks were dragging, decent overall though and i should listen to it again
C’est pas la première fois que j’écoute cet album, et comme la dernière fois, je trouve qu’après Holes, ça devient inintéressant. Dommage car cette première chanson est incroyable, atmosphérique. Ça pourrait jouer dans un film. Goddess on a hiway aussi est bien. Mais all in all je trouve le tout très meh.
Vamos hoy miércoles con una banda que desconozco por completo. Leo en su reseña más específica de que es un proyecto musical relacionado con The Flaming Lips y puedo llegar a imaginar por dónde vendrán sus sonidos. Arranca y se mantiene tranca, etéreo, recordándome efectivamente a ellos. Dream-pop sutil, que hasta me parece que maridaría bien como soundtrack de alguna película de Tim Burton. Favorite track: The Funny Bird. Hasta mañana
Favorite Track: Holes
At its best, this is the kind of harmonized, string-swept grandeur that Oasis might have made if they’d grown up in the Catskills instead of Manchester. Tracks like Tonite It Shows could be sync'd to a Disney movie. But in those slower, more meandering moments, the album drifts into self-indulgence, losing the thread and sinking into background music territory.
It’s disorienting to hear a sound so close to another. They do sound astonishingly like the flaming lips. They even sound like Phish at times. I like it in its surprising psychedelia.
Neither here nor there
Goddess on a Hiway
Eh, some good stuff but mainly mediocre and felt a bit odd. 3 stars
really really REALLY liked the first part of the album. did not enjoy the last 4-5 songs. what the fuck
This is pleasant but kinda put me to sleep. Was expecting it to pick up a bit at some point. It’s okay that it didn’t really though.
This is a really odd album. I kind of like it. I had never heard of this band at all before, so that's always welcome. I don't really know what to say about this album - it's not really what I would think of as typical shoegaze or indie as it's categorized here. There are elements of that, sure, but there's some avant garde in there, some pop elements. Goddess On A Hiway seemed familiar to me, maybe I've heard a cover of that song? I don't know but I liked that song a lot. Although I liked some of the weirder parts of this album, I think it would have been better to maybe take that stuff out and write 2-3 more actual songs. But I enjoyed it enough regardless. 3/5
Rock, Pop, klangexperimentell, 1998 -> 3
Pretty cool for a large part, but very weird some other times. Sometimes even uncomfortable like on The Happy End.
I like about half of this record.
There were better artists by the name of Mercury that I could have been listening to
I was fully prepared to drop a 2/5 on this Flaming Lips-adjacent bit of ephemera, but "The Funny Bird" was so good that it genuinely caught me off-guard, and earned this an extra star.
Meh 3/5
Pleasant enough, very much like listening to the flaming lips, but of course this is where that sound really come from. Got me interested enough to check out some of their other albums.
Very creative project and I appreciate it for its uniqueness. I don't feel like people were doing this avante garde psychedelic rock in the 90s. It was however a little too slow at times and the wobbling alien noises felt overused.
interesting - will listen again
Atmospheric and interesting. Heavy on the electronics
Would repeat listen Holes, Opus 40, and Goddess on a Hiway. Not an album I need to listen to all the way through again.
Þessic lata var lengi í gang svo kom smellurinn þeirra og svo fjaraði hún út. Mér fannst þetta ekkert spes og mun líklegast bara gleyma þessari meðalmennsku hratt og ekki hlusta aftur nema í útvarpinu.
There are a few decent tracks on this album. Not good, but decent. The kind that you could happily have on in the background and not interfere with what you are doing. However, there is quite a lot of filler in between those few decent tracks.
Не знаю, что такого ценного в этом альбоме нашли критики… Да, несколько нестандартная музыка, но ценности ей это добавляет не слишком много. 6 из 10.
dreamy songs
Fun, enjoyable but a little forgettable. Perhaps with time and repeated listens this will get better but apart from a few flashes of brilliance there wasn't a great deal here that stood out to me. Special mention to Goddess on a Hiway, a personal favourite song of mine but not enough to push this any higher than a 3. Highlights: Holes, I Collect Coins, Goddess on a Hiway
weird ~_~
Nice discovery. There were moments where I was completely transfixed, and moments where I was bored or annoyed (Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp). Some really good instrumentation and moments throughout the album. Probably 3.5.
Wasn't really my thing.
Fine. Forgettable.
Lullabies for 90s indie fans. Decent relaxing listen
This was kind of shocking to me. If you told me this came out in the 70s or mid/late 2000s, I would have believed you, but not 1998. I was confused by this inclusion at first but once I saw when it came out, I realized why. This was really ahead of its time. Some of it sounded like that pleasant mid-2000s indie sound, other parts of it reminded me of the Moody Blues. I found this enjoyable and also shocking from the time period it came out. I was about 10 years old in 1998 and listened to everything that came out. This was different from literally anything I can remember hearing. Having trouble rating this because I enjoyed it, but it wasn't always my cup of tea, but I also hear the influence it had on other artists. Wish I could rate this 3.5, but I think I need to round down because there isn't a ton of replay value for me personally.
very nice. 3.5
Budget Flaming Lips (complimentary).
This was unexpectedly better than anticipated. I can't quite put a finger on it. Still, the strange mixture of unusual arrangements, a certain somber and dark mood, and the sometimes eerie voice made an interesting listening experience. +1 for the singing saw.
Another album where the music is better than the vocals. Interesting, but not quite my thing. I don't love it when signers are off key.
After the first two songs I thought this band sounded similar to Flaming Lips, then I read the summary and saw there was a connection. Chill vibe and easy, fun listen.
Different indi rock. Felt mostly dream like. I want to listen to it again, but not sure if I need to tell my friends what they're missing out on. Lingering feeling that can't quite describe
Enjoyed this album - quite chilled and fun 7/10
It’s like dreamy, psychedelic alt rock. Interesting vocals. Quite melodic. Not my favorite thing I’ve ever listened to, but I was pleasantly surprised
Great arrangements, but hard to get past the indie-Bee Gees vocal styles Listen to the instrumental version.
Weird. Sounded underwater and muted yet hypnotic. Kinda liked it I think?
God stemning, jeg kunne godt lide instrumenterne
I thought I knew his voice from somewhere... 😄
ok except for the turns into musical theater
I must say I have never listened to Mercury Rev unless it was on the radio and I didn’t know it was them. I was pleasantly surprised! I actually really enjoyed this album and its unique musical sound. It surprised me from the beginning but kept me engaged. The music and lyrics are interesting and well organized. The singer’s voice is not something I would usually enjoy but it fit with the music well. Fun listen and I will have to check out more from this band.
I was listening to these guys back when their first album, Yerself Is Steam, came out. Still love "Chasing a Bee." I remember when this one came out. It was such a different sound for them. The band had matured quite a bit since those early days. It's a good record. My only issue is that, though the music is more mature and (dared I say) mainstream, the singer's vocals are a bit jarring. It worked well on the early weird stuff, but not as much on these tracks. Still not too bad, though. Favorites: "Opus 40", "Goddess On a Hiway", "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp"
It was interesting. Started out with much more potential than I expected, but then started to drag a bit. 3/5
The tunes are cool, really dreamy atmospheric ambience too. Really don't like their voices though which does ruin things slightly. Nothing standout either, except maybe The Funny Bird (in part because of how distorted his voice thankfully is...). Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp is good too.
eh. sorta like flaming lips but less weird.
Day521 - maybe not as good as the flaming lips but still a pretty album
I used to be a pretty big fan of the Flaming Lips but really got tired of em over the years. This kind of sounds like the parts of the Flaming Lips that I do still like, and that’s got to be worth something.
bin mir unschlüssig, der Anfang war interessant .. aber hat dann nachgelassen
Lyrics didn’t always make sense, chill music, good background music
This reminded me of The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd and The Polyphonic Spree. Very much enjoyed it. 3.5
this was so bizarre. atonal and screeching, then very pleasant? idk what to really make of it. they needed to put down the damn theremin, i can tell you that much
I'd never heard of these guys and upon looking I saw they have been linked to The Flaming Lips. Which makes sense because that's exactly what I thought of the vocals on the opener Holes, with some Yoshimi vibes to boot. That's not a slight - that opening song is absolutely beautiful. But song two - Tonite it Shows - didn't keep the same vibe going. I read their leader Jonathan Donahue was inspired by some of his favorite childhood albums, but song two and many others felt more like campy Disney fairytale than the wispy and dreamy song one. I wanted more of the latter and less of the former. Opus 40 was another nice dreamy piece while Hudson Line was upbeat and fun. Goddess on a Hiway was a good mix of the two. Endlessly, Pick Up If You're There, and Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp were just a bit too strange. The rest weren't overly memorable.
I thought they sounded a lot like the Flaming Lips, only to find out that they have close ties. I thought some of the songs were similar and that first half was better than the second half.
This reminded me a lot of The Flaming Lips. A solid alt rock period piece of it's time. Worth a revisit, for sure.
I liked it.
Went in knowing nothing about this artist/band. I thought it was a whiskey drenched chimney smoking female on vocals, but when I see the band pic it looks like there's a guy on vocals. Sounds like a horney out of tune alley cat. It's unbearable. I'm sure Pitchfolk loves it. From "Goddess On A Hiway" and onwards the album became better. Some of it reminded me of David Lynch's music. 1st half was bad, 2nd half saved it. I can be charitable and give it a 3/5
This was alright. I wish it went somewhere more often. But I mostly liked this.
Like a quieter version of the Flaming Lips. First song sucked me in and the rest of the experience was better than expected.
Never heard of them before. This was not bad, but unfortunately it did not do much for me. Fav Track: Holes.
This is fine. Firmly between Flaming Lips and Owl City. A bit forgettable.
It kind of feels like an off-brand Flaming Lips at times, but honestly this is the kind of whiny indie stuff that takes me right back to being a teenager so I can't bring myself to dislike it :) athletes a couple of tracks on here that really are very good, but not enough that I think it warrants that fourth star.
‘holes’ is one of my most favorite songs EVER in the world…it really feels like the perfect thesis for everything that compels me about music and bands in particular, my longstanding creative focus of the past five years or so…every line a gut punch. “bands / those funny little plans / that never work quite right,” and it ending on an unresolved note (???)…of course with the knowledge that garth hudson and levon helm are playing on this album i can’t help but want to draw parallels between this song and THEIR experience in a band together too…ultimately a really weird note to begin an album on i think. it would have made an amazing final track. it just sounds like an epilogue. with that said the rest of the songs on this record failed to make much of an impression on me. i liked ‘opus 40’ because…hey! i’ve been there! and i’ve been on the hudson line too! fav tracks: holes; opus 40; delta sun bottleneck stomp
A couple standout tracks but a 3 overall for me
It reminded me of Death Cab For Cutie with a weaker lead singer and and way more sci-fi sound effects.
Shout out JP and Charlie
Feeling a bit guilty. I probably should've given this album more attention than I actually did. The vibes are great and I really liked the first song especially. Not the biggest fan of the vocals but not everything can be perfect.
Overall it was OK - but after Goddess on the Hiway I thought it got really good! The last 4 songs were great. Overall - maybe a 3, wish it had more of the final few songs!
Did not like the first half of this. Guy's voice is weird! The last few songs were well made overall
Never heard of these guys, but this was pretty alright! The vocals took a little getting used to, but musically I thought this was solid. I really liked The Funny Bird, that was a cool track.
A vocalist away from a 4 Star, shame.
A lot of hype around this album which prompted a buy. It has a strong collection of songs, some excellent but there's a nag that it is missing something that would make it worthy for this list.
Not too bad actually—Flaming Lips-esque 🔥
I feel like I almost like this...
Reminded me a bit of flaming lips. I liked a couple of songs but mostly was meh.
Background chill
Goddess / Holes are cool. The rest are acceptable
C'est un 3,5 étoiles fort, et ça deviendrait sûrement 4 après quelques écoutes supplémentaires. Album intéressant à creuser, avec rien de négatif à dire. Groupe à l'approche artistique forte, qui fait ce qu'il a envie de faire.
M'a beaucoup fait penser à The Soft Bulletin mais moins bon en tous points. Content d'avoir écouté quand même. Je l’ai ajouté à ma collection et y donnerai peut-être une autre chance. C'est comme juste sur le bord d'être quelque chose que je pourrais aimer beaucoup... mais pas tout à fait. Un gros 3.49.
A couple of highlights, but an average album.
A very nice album! A couple of real standout tracks (Goddess on a Hiway was my clear favorite) and a very enjoyable tone throughout. My first exposure to Mercury Rev and I enjoyed the experience.
I was immediately reminded of The Flaming Lips, and after reading up on them a bit, yeah, that makes sense. There's some lovely production on this album that's engaging in a very soothing way. I don't want to listen again right away, but I'll definitely give this another spin sometime because I could see this growing on me a lot. High 3.
This one was good, but forgettable somehow. There is not any other way I can describe it. When listening, I liked most of the material, but now, writing about it, I just can't remember any single song. Strange, that. 3/5
Meh
I have never in my life heard a song like Tonite It Show, where the music sounds like the town theme for a SNES/PS1 era Final Fantasy town, and the vocals/lyrics sound like they’re from a Muppet Movie. 3.5 Stars
At times grating (that damn whining sound!) and forgettable, but there are some genuinely great decisions made in this thing. Probably need more listens and more drugs to fully understand the sound they're going for.
Kinda interesting but ultimately let down by really pants vocals. I would guess a youth obsessed with Punk has ruined Dimery's ability to spot when a vocal holds music back.
Meh
Nice and all. But not very inspiring. Wish we had half stars. This would be 3.5
Found the singer's voice hard to enjoy for the first half but they came swinging in the second half. The Funny Bird is one of my favorites.
One of the best uses of a saw outside of a Halloween CD I have ever heard .. with that said "Happy Ending" is super eerie. But overall it was tolerable. As previously stated, I am trying to be kind to the 90s.
Hmm. Doesn't sound too bad but also not entirely my thing?
There were parts of this album that depressed Charlie liked. They sound like a combination for The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, and Youth Lagoon. I thought the first song was a really strong opener, but the album started to fade on me for the next few songs. It then got slightly better with Opus 40, but the better songs were staggered throughout the rest of the album. Goddess On A Hiway was pretty good, Pick Up If You're There was alright, but the ending to Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp was so fucking stupid. How do you end an album like that? The album felt like it lacked confidence. The vocals definitely play a part in it by how weak and whiny they are, but, like I said in the beginning, depressed Charlie would've probably like this for a period of time. Fortunately for me, I am no longer a sad boi, but unfortunately for them, it means that I no longer dig this genre. Weak 3/5
Didn’t care for the first 3 songs but then it started to pick up for me a bit. Goddess on a Hiway is a good rocker and I pretty much enjoyed every song after that as well. Probably won’t revisit though except for the singles. Another 3/5 for me
Very eccentric, experimental indie pop/rock. The vocals were a low point for me, but there were a few moments throughout that piqued my interest. Holes is a great song. But mostly I was just noticing how the background instruments/orchestra was 90% composed of default keyboard sounds with little to no production added, which is a bummer. Better production and vocals would’ve bumped this up to a 4 for me, but alas.
3/5
holes- 5 tonight it shows- nightmare before christmas ass. 5 endlessly- 5 i collect coins- 6 opus 40- 5 hudson line- 5 or 6 the happy end- 6 goddess on a hiway- 5 or 6 the funny bird- 5 pick up if youre there- 5. kinda walten files delta sun bottleneck stomp- 5 or 6
Really interesting. Kind of like a rock opera but more whimsical? Haven’t heard anything like it yet, closest would be Bowie
it should be a criminal offence to write a load of songs as lush as this and then sing them in a Neil Young voice
A bit forgettable and boring, but it had some cool moments. Didn’t love the vocals.
Maybe my life would be different if I’d heard these guys before the Flaming Lips. But they just sound like a knockoff to me.
Honestly I was a fan of this one. Paired well with my meaningless job
an interesting combination of kinda classic alternative and super experimental. overall i think it worked pretty well though!
4/11, 36%
Really liked the production but the vocals were so boring