Reviews (page 6 of 8)
A grower. Not great, but the good songs are BRILLIANT.
Another band I’ve heard of but never listened to. Eclectic (possibly to a fault) and I could do without the wild theremin forays (or whatever electronic noise generation gizmos were at play) but some really strong parts too and worth further exploration.
Not on Spotify
I really love some of the songs here and some are just musical seesaw instrumentals
Ambient sort of music
3 stars. A lot of variety. Maybe too much
Mercury Rev and their album Deserter's Songs were new to me. I liked the album. The album definitely had a sound that reminded me of some of the alternative music from the 90s. The first track ("Holes") had definite Flaming Lips vibes, and by the end of the album I was reminded of Sigur Rós. Was there something in this album that reminded me of Modest Mouse? I dunno. "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" was the individual track that got my highest rating, and ""The Happy End (The Drunk Room)” got my lowest. Overal the album was good, but I'm not sure if I'll remember to come back to the albumfor a second listen any time soon. I'd be happy to listen to another suggestion from this band.
It's the air of depression made with a mellotron, flugelhorns, female whistling, tettix wave accumulator, chamberlin strings, yeh you get my point. A formulaic attempt to get 5/5 from NME.
I enjoyed this album.
Little too sad for me, but it’s good.
1st track bittersweet and beautiful, a bit like Spiritualized etc but with the cosy quaint voice of someone more like Ira Kaplan or smth. Good instrumentation - it's varied and sort of like classic mellatron and sort of like Divine Comedy orchestration. Some of the swelling strings are like the sentimental bits of Grizzly Bear. Third track is like McCartney meets Incredible String Band meets Joe Meek it's sort of corny but cool. Fourth track is lovely tapey piano and mellotrony warble. It's quite nice and good for the background, it's main character-y lol.
I had never heard of this band before today. It definitely does have a Flaming Lips vibe going on. The opener is pretty damn good followed by mixed results. I could see myself returning to this one in the future. It could be a grower. As of right now I'd rather just listen to Holes and then put on a preferred Flaming Lips album if I was looking for something like this.
Very new agey. Interesting but not my favorite.
i actually quite liked this album. i thought it was interesting and deep. 3.5/5? i feel like there isn’t much to say, i didn’t think i’d like it but i did.
Nettes Album, aber nicht ganz „mein Ding“
abbey road + death cab for cutie + Illinois 3.5
Chillaxing. Still sounds good now.
Cool and ethereal. Everyone has already made the point about them sounding like the Flaming Lips so I'll just add: they sound like the Flaming Lips Liked: Endlessly*, Opus 40, Goddess on a Hiway
An intriguing sound, in a similar vein to The Flaming Lips. I love the vibe of the songwriting, but the singer's voice isn't really my thing.
I rarely listen to bands described as "pranksters", so except for 1001's suggestion, would never have listened to this album. It's actually decent - I'll probably give it a second listen sooner than later. But it's not added to my library.
Hadnt listened to this for a long time and it was fun to return with some great individual tracks that were well worth a revisit. Not sure the whole thing works but at least its trying to be a little inventive.
Chilled out with a hint of the flaming lips
Dreamy, psychedelic pop music. It was very calming to listen to
It was fine
Didn't hate it. Liked the last song in particular, but at the same time it didn't really grab me.
Nice, but with the exception of one song - not that special (hope the band members won't read this)
Interesting sound.
Good album, a bit softer for my Rock tastes, but very listenable. I like the variety of different instruments in it. Favorite song was Goddess on a Hiway, followed by Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp. 3.4/5.0
Another fun album
Initial reaction was that I was going to hate it but it actually grew on me by the end
Weird but fun
Okay, nothing that made me want to listen again but not horrible
3.7
Meh
not really my style, but not bad
This type of music is a blend of Bob Dylan with more dreamy/exploratory sound. It's good, but I wouldn't listen to it again.
I liked this
First few tracks are nice but it got a bit much after a while. I think I could really enjoy this if I'm in the right mood
Never heard of this band before. Quite liked the first few songs but then got a bit bored of it before the end.
Disappointed
I didn’t entirely dislike it but this wasn’t great. The vocal performance and lyrics were pretty weak, overall it felt pretty mopey, and the last song was just annoying. 5/10
Some good songs, but got really weird at some points
"You had to choose, a side to lose, and divide yourself in two The way you were, long before, you were a walking civil war But you forget, where the road goes, and tonite it shows" (Tonite it shows)
I was so ready to hate this album solely based off of the band's picture on Spotify. The dude with the soul patch looks like the kind of guy who would see a woman in a band t-shirt and ask her to name 5 songs or she's a poser. And then they hit me with a totally different vibe. Honestly they kind of sound like a knock off Flaming Lips, or at least the lead singer sounds like a knock off Wayne Coyne. Then I learned some of the members worked on early Flaming Lips albums, and then that made a little more sense. I more enjoyed the songwriting than I did any of the music, it seemed to just blend in the background for me. To be honest, not going to listen to this again but I wasn't angry I heard it.
never heard of them in my life so very intrigued < > not bad. Liked the higher voices and the weird musical instruments for the most part
Opus 40 like Pachelbel's Canon then going into Beatles' Carry That Weight. 'Endlessly' using whistling theremin to a track that sounds like Silent Night. Hudson Line, nice sax intro and musical interlude, but otherwise a disapoontingly repetitive and uninspiring track and similarly with Holes. I started off thinking I might quite enjoy this album but then started getting bored. Goddess on a Hiway was an enjoyable track, but more theremin? Really? Isn't The Happy End like the kind of shit you have to listen to when you're doing a music degree? Finally got pissed off with this album. I liked the sad retro vibe of I Collect Coins but that was about the best of it. Tonite it Shows reminiscent of Hushaby Mountain. Getting a generous 3 stars from me.
- It’s goofy, light-hearted. Reminds me of mgmt a bit. - Not a fan of the voice initially - feels like there’s a story intertwined in the songs. Cinematic/ less musical parts - liked goddess of the hiway - relistening to some of the songs got me more into the sound/ voice
The Beatles but kinda darker.
There were some good songd, but I didn’t find it album entertaining from start to end. A little dull in the vibe it is selling.
Not often you get rock albums with someone playing the saw. Basically a flaming lips album from an alternate reality.
I had never heard of these guys, so I listened to this with some interest. It was fine, but forgettable.
I thought these songs were the flaming lips. Like the instrumentation.
I thought I had never heard of this band, but Holes sounds really familiar. Either way, I love that first track and listened to it 3 times before proceeding with the rest of the album. Is that a theramin? Whatever it is, love that high pitched note that adds eerieness to the songs. Sounds like a soundtrack to a good indie-movie. Sexy Saxophone? Lots of instruments and sounds experiments happening. Radiohead-like? Goddess on a Hiway is just a great pop song.
It's pretty cool and reminds me of a Flaming Lips type sounds. I particularly liked the aggressive noise of Funny Bird.
Neo-psychedelic pop, really a 3.5 star, precursor to the flaming lips
Hometown pride (Go Bills!) will never be enough to get me to understand this damn band
Surprised this is my first time ever hearing this- beautiful music and very eclectic compositions. Lots of unique sounds heard in every song. Last song is great, but ends with a weird hidden track... Highlights: Hudson Line Goddess On A Hiway
Kinda off-kilter? Not quite ethereal, but not quite percussive and steady either. Later songs were better than the start, that's for sure.
Not really cohesive (probably the point), but good songs overall
Interesting listen... Don't enjoy it much
I enjoyed 2nd half of the album much more than the first.
Enjoyed the last song the most. The rest was just smooth listening, uninteresting tunes.
This was alright. I liked some of the folksy aspects but didn’t care for others. It sounds better when you’re half listening to it.
Tunnelma sopi perjantaihin ja kuunteli hyvillä mielin. Ei kuitenkaan tarjonnut ihmeitä joten ei mene jatkoon.
Neat alt album, lots of Flaming Lips and some Phish vibes.
Nah no good
A lot of comments talk about this sounding like the Flaming Lips which made me really dislike this album. Started cool but what I don't like about FL I dont like about this.
2.90
Don't let the incredible opener fool you this album is just okay
I’d like to hear this album without the keyboards/synth
I didn't know how to rate this album. At first I didn't like it, but then it kind of started being interesting, but then I didn't really want to give it another listen - at least not yet. Two stars for now, but I'll revisit when I'm in the right mood.
Was okay.
Only relistened to a couple songs but pretty neat
Started off real good with vibes like Beach House then it just got kinda mid I struggled to like this one
Meh
Didn't like it
Forgettable Flaming Lips knockoff.
Well, that was certainly some music. Droning, repetitive parts interspersed with discordant instrumental stabs, plus lyrics which were doubtless very meaningful to the writer but didn't make any sense to me. An interesting assortment of instruments and clean, lush production, but I just didn't get it.
Mercury Rev’s Deserter’s Songs is an album of stark contrasts, blending exceptional, uncompressed audio production with a tracklist that frequently fluctuates in quality. The record kicks off strong with the atmospheric indie vibes of Holes and hits a true high point with the standout guitar solo on The Funny Bird, which easily could have served as a superior closer. The album also finds success with the genuinely pleasant melodies of Goddess on a Hiway. Unfortunately, much of the remaining runtime leans heavily into the mundane, bogged down by forgettable tracks like I Collect Coins and Pick Up If You're There, before wrapping up on a bizarre note with The Happy End. While the rich, well-separated instrumentals and flawless mastering ensure that nothing ever sounds offensive to the ear, the lack of consistent songwriting makes the journey largely hit-or-miss. Ultimately, despite housing a few genuine gems, the record struggles to leave a lasting impression as a cohesive whole, earning a modest 2/5.
Little too weird. Not enough meat.
I'm sorry but this is just not my thing. I like that they went less commercial and enjoyed what they did, but this does not click with me.
Lame indie music.
instrumentation is pretty cool, arrangements are quite fun, but the vocals are really just quite unpleasant to listen to
Meh, artsy to a fault
Unremarkable
I'm surprised I wasn't familiar with this album, and not at the same time. When you listen to it, you do feel the Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin vibe since they were both produced at the same time by the same guy, very similar album structure, similar vocals, completely different instrumentation and arrangements. But for some reason, i'm just not clicking with this, apparently it was a hit, not sure where, doesn't sound like something that would sound in a store or radio other than indie stations for a while. Kinda reminds me of Sparklehorse too, but this is more like an annoying musical than an indie show. Not bad, just not for me.
This is like a derivative mash up of Flaming Lips and Cloud Cult, but with lamer lyrics. Not impressed.
Very average, can't say there's anything particular memorable or impactful about it
Sort of not my thing. Maybe in a different mood
Couldn't get into this at all, didn't do anything for me. Ended up skipping most of it.
🤔
It's like Flaming lips but not really good Will I listen to again: 1%
This was honestly boring. I'm almost inclined to give only a single star, but I guess that would be unfair compare to the other disasters I've found in this list.
Strangely boring for an album of my preferred genre. Maybe it was the orchestral bent, which made me think of owl city. All in all, a 2.5 rounded down.
its, very forgettable. the vibes are interesting and i appreciate the chamber pop aspect. but i just wont go back to listen to this again anytime soon. 4/10
I'll have Flaming Lips please. We don't carry Flaming Lips. Is Mercury Rev okay?
Who is this album for? Not me, apparently.
Thought this would be alot better just too slow
not that bad but i dont really like
2 out of 5. No real feelings towards this one, just meh.
not really my type of music
Fand nur das 1ste Lied gut. Rest bisschen Crazy
Relativement médiocre, voire désagréable.
interesting!!!
Jonathan Donahue worked with the Butthole Surfers, and I can't find a more mismatched couple if I tried
Feels like weird movie soundtrack music. Didn’t care for it.
I’d never heard of Mercure Rev before, even though some of the “Deserter’s Songs” sound familiar to me. In any case, this is just another mediocre ’90s alternative rock band, and I can’t find anything else noteworthy about it. At the start of this project, I had a bunch of ’80s new wave albums, most of which sounded more or less the same—now the same thing seems to be happening with the dominant style of the ’90s. Too bad!
- Played in Israel 5 times, most recently in 2022. Haven't heard anything from them against the genocide, so I have to assume they're Zionists, which is an instant boycott. - The instrumentals are pretty, expansive, and interesting, mainly on the first half of the album. - I can't get past the whiney, tentative, off-key vocals that have almost no range. Sounds like a weaker Flaming Lips vocally. And I hate when he sings "hoooles, dug by little mooooles", lol. - I agree with the person who said that this sounds like a mix of Flaming Lips and Spiritualized, but I prefer them. - Other than Goddess on a Hiway and Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp, I didn't enjoy the second half of the album. Too much dissonance with the same two notes repeated on The Happy End, off-key vocals on The Funny Bird, boring theramin, and then that stupid hidden track. - Also felt there was too much on the high end most of the time. - I was thinking of giving it a 3 when listening to the first half of the album, but it ended up being way too self-indulgent.
A bit too etheric and whispy for me.
Eeeeeemm. No sé muy bien que decir, no me gustó, no lo escucharía de vuelta, pero es curioso.
Lots of hits and misses, with a heavier leaning toward the misses. With this record, you'll get an upbeat track, but then go into some experimental, low-tempo track. This had some weird pacing. Favourite Track(s): Opus 40 Least Favourite Track(s): The Happy End (The Drunk Room)
Urgh. Like a bad Flaming Lips.
Forgettable, and even at 44 minutes it’s a chore
This feels like an album I'm going to forget I listened to in a week but it was inoffensive and mildly enjoyable.
I didn’t like it I don’t really know what else to say.
I think it's really funny that the band were surprised at how popular this album was. Hey, me too buddy. (I think I understand why, but this definitely wasn't something I enjoyed.)
Spooky vibes
Thought it was ok but not totally for me. Again I was trying to remember who it reminded me of - George said Flaming Lips and that’s who I was thinking of! I belive me and Lily saw them when they opened for Weezer 😊
интересная конечно вариация кантри под альтернативный рок, но не зацепило, пенся холс очень зашла но в остальном не очень
This is all so sublimated that calling it rock is a bit of a stretch!
#871. This is uh... not to my taste. I'm pretty sure I am not the target demographic for this. I don't know who is, but I know it's not me. 2/5: not great
2/5
Deserter Songs I was interested to listen to this having not heard it since it had its moment in the sun back in 1998/99. Goddess on a Hiway is still an excellent track, I still like the intonation and lyrics of the chorus in Holes and Opus 40 is good, but overall I don’t think it holds up that well and it’s hard not see its popularity as a music critic driven campaign that somehow catches a moment, but ultimately doesn’t endure as it is really a fairly middling album. It’s also striking how much it sounds like the Flaming Lips (which makes sense as it was made side by side with the Soft Bulletin), who in turn had the critical spotlight shone on them a few years later with Yoshimi, a far better record, and perhaps is the album the media wanted this to be. Anyway, while it has moments that transcend the prevalence of mid tempo sludge and winsomeness, and I don’t think it’s bad, I don’t find its overall tone of mawkish psychedelia particularly interesting either, so for me it sits somewhere around 2 or 3. In reality I don’t think I’ll listen again so I’ll go with a high 2. 🛣️🛣️ Playlist submission: Goddess on a Hiway
26/02/2026 I don't know what I expected from this, but it was definitely a disappointment and boring. I have never listened to these guys and I won't again. Spotify listeners: 211.7k
It's weird, I've never listened to this before, but it's making me feel nostalgic for the late 90s. This falls somewhere on the spectrum between Spiritualized and Flaming Lips, closer to FL both in spirit and sound. Sort of forgettable.
A band i know but never listen to. Not sure aure going from Joni Mitchell straight to this was a good idea. Maybe i needed what ever the opposite of a palate cleanser is before jumping in. I take back what i said about not liking your upper register voice Joni. Come back. First song and this guy’s vocals are all over the shop. I thought it could be a deliverate thing but all other songs the same. Opus 40 is a good song. I think by then i’ve filtered out the vocals and just listen to the backing.
I loved the first song on the album. After that I found the singers voice to not match the beauty of the accompanying music which is a shame. He’s a good singer, but his voice is more fitting for folk music in my opinion.
This was okay. That's about it.
Flaming Lips wannabe
not into it
Sounds like making this album was a nice, cathartic experience for the band. I think most listeners will find it much less enjoyable.
this was really forgettable. just pretty and sad, somewhat orchestral, there's piano and then some weird high pitched buzzing sounds. i liked goddess on a hiway.
you know how Neil Young can almost sing, but not quite, but you don't really mind since his songs are so strong and his band is so great? that's the impression I get of Mercury Rev's lead singer, except the songs underneath are obnoxiously twee and extremely undercooked. bassist and producer Dave Fridmann was helping his friends in The Flaming Lips craft The Soft Bulletin at the same time as he was making Deserter's Songs with Mercury Rev, and unfortunately I think the Lips made the better LP by a long shot. with this MR album, it's another case of a kooky, unusual sounds papering over a bunch of snoozeworthy songs. they got Levon Helm on here to play a variation of Pachelbel's Canon, a song mostly played by literal children! the orchestral arrangements sound incredibly stiff, tacky and above all, fake; the nod to Brahms' Lullaby on "Endlessly" made me think that the band was actively trying to put me to sleep. never a good sign. strong 3/10.
Some neat things here, but I just didn't enjoy it.
That's funny...this is another band that I've heard the name of and their music is completely different from what I thought they were. Saint Etienne was the other one and they could swap their names and it'd make so much more sense to me. Anyways, this album really didn't do much for me. The first track reminded me of Destroyer's Poison Season record, which I enjoy, but the rest didn't really stand out.
I get the occasional whimsy of the flaming lips but I didn’t much like this - too whawww for me.
Lots of variety but nothing really connected.
It was ok ish.
Coincidentally, I just saw that Mercury Rev will be the tour opener for Afghan Whigs' 40th anniversary run of shows. Previously unfamiliar with their music, I was excited to hear them before I buy my tickets. It is not an unpleasant album, but for a band named Mercury Rev, it certainly takes its time finding the gas pedal. When it does, the result is too close to sounding like The Flaming Lips or Eels to feel entirely original. I think I've just learned that I just don't care much for Chamber Pop.
Interesting, I liked the singer's voice. Goddess on a Hiway was really the only song I liked, nothing else grabbed me. I can appreciate the experimental nature of the album but I will not be returning.
Unexceptional stuff. Whiny vocals. Plodding music.
I don’t even know
I had high hopes for the album after hearing the first song, but it rarely lived up to that. Too many interludes or songs that meander and don't go anywhere. 5/10
Wanna be pink floyd but bad
No private session used for Spotify. A little too mellow and timid for me. I liked the variation of instruments but I kept wanting the song to take off but that never happened. Not for me, thanks.
Nope. Not for me. Goddess on a highway is great. But that voice gets annoying after 5 songs. And the pseudo classical arty-farty soundscapes aren't for me. 2/5
I listened to it. I didn’t hate it but I won’t seek out more Mercury Rev.
Nope.
Weird synth, psychedelic. Never heard of this band. Not my vibe. Too chaotic.
A bit too baroque for my tastes. If it leaned more into trip hop aka Massive Attack, I would have liked it more. Plus, the guy's voice is a bit annoying.
This sucked. Whiny, nasally, annoying bullshit.
this takes heavily from the flaming lips and daniel johnston. i dont like the flaming lips, and i dont like a fluffed up daniel johnston. ill just listen to the original. production budget was too high on this one
Pas trop ma came, quelques passages intéressants mais sinon globalement ennuyeux voire bizarre 2/5
Not a fan
rememberably forgettable 2.4/5
Not a fan of the voice, Sounds like someone who's singing karaoke at a bar at 1 AM. i would say that the aestetic it evokes is more interesting to me than the music itself. i actually saved "i collect coins" to my liminal list. so if this was a instrumental album i would porbably enjoy this more.
Truly baffling record. Has a couple of good cuts, but outside of those, this is incredibly cloying and overwrought. This kind of psychedelic maximalism would be much more appealing to me if every instrument weren't seemingly tuned to the key of "whimsy." The vocals aren't doing it any favors either.
Parts were enjoyable but largely I found this uninspiring
sounds like every band from the ‘90s in one
to sum up my experience with this album, i was finally enjoying one of the more americana tracks that had a good beat when it faded out and literal clown music started.
this was so something! LMFAO i actually did really love holes and then it kinda lost me! so imma give it a 2 for holes alone cause i added it to my playlist. it was almost a 3 but whatever the fuck was going on at the end severely pissed me off?? it sounded like those weird goofy sound effects in a movie
Tried to get into it, but couldn’t
Definitely unique. Oddly cozy. However nothing really that exciting for me.
Would not buy
I don’t know what I’m listening to, but I’m pretty sure I don’t like it. They sound like a less interesting Flaming Lips cover band.
This was..... OK? It's really trying to be operatic and grandiose and not really getting there. It has very melancholy undertones and is rather depressing overall.
Yeah, I don't know. It started off okay, but then I kinda got lost and it was all over the place. What genre of music was this? I'm not sure. I didn't really enjoy listening to it, but it had some ambitious soundscapes and some hummable tunes. Two stars.
Nothing special
Pretty boring
I can hear the influence this had on the indie of the future. Reminded me of Neutral Milk Hotel but less enjoyable. Good ideas and seeds for melody, but made a lot of instrumental choices that bothered me and I don't love the lead vocal performance. The production is scattershot and unfocused as well.
This passes for great in some cultures. It’s fine.
Generic 90s indie-rock...I'd rate it as "listenable" but definitely not "memorable"
I was pretty bored with this one. This is my second ‘best’ album of the year of 1998 this week. Must have been a slow year.
I’ve always wished Mercury Rev had changed their name after David Baker left. This version of the band is just such naff indie pop compared to the excellent and much darker, menacing and challenging first 2 Rev albums. Other than Goddess on a Highway this album is extremely vanilla, and I’m not convinced adding lots of theremin and a dose of harpsichord makes it particular edgy or psych or whatever they were trying to achieve. On the upside, this made me read about them again, and I discovered an album ‘World’ David Baker recorded after he left under the moniker Shady. If you’re a fan of the Rev’s first 2 albums head there, it’s good. If you prefer this Rev album, more fool you and go and have some more bland time.
It's ok - that voice is a bit weird. I didnt hate it but i wouldn't be bothered about listening to it again. Last song was the best one. The other album All is Dream was a better album for me.
Although I’m a fan of a lot of psych bands…this album doesn’t do it for me.
Sounds like a band trying to sound like the Flaming Lips.
It sounded all the same, but OK background music. 5/10
Interesting sound and songs. I'll have to listen to more of this groups work. Not bad.
In places quite pretty, but by god the words are pretentious dog shit.
I appreciate the nods to my homeland of Hudson NY, and musically the album was pretty expressive and artistic. Lyrically and vocally it left me wanting more. But hey, there is a secret song at the end. Always fun when they did that in the 90s.
shoe gazing! right, per?!
It was ok. But i won‘t listen to it in the future
Even more pointless than this sentence
Enjoyable but I imagine both Yoshimi and Soft Bulletin are on this list, so why is this here?
I really did not like this. It felt like the whole thing was the initial part of a rock opera or concept album and then it would just stay there. The singers voice was grating which normally I can move past if everything else is enjoyable. I don't see a place for this on the list
Boring
Saved by 3 good tracks, but the rest was either weird, lame or awful. The second song sounded like something Tiny Tim would sing in the Muppets Christmas Carol. Probably a 2.5 rounded down.
Not really my jam. Thought the album was a bit boring to be honest. The songs were okay, but every song felt like the slow song of the album.
Like Flaming Lips but more boring and less musical.
The album started out fun and felt like it got more and more underground as we went. It was fine until the happy end and then it just got strange. Not a fan.
-hmm. another case of “not bad by any means but does not make me feel anything and was very difficult to connect with individual songs -like there were certain elements i liked. the chamber pop, the vocals. but it all just kinda blended together for me in one big blob. not a huge fan -Favorites are Holes and I Collect Coins
Didn’t hate didn’t love
No hate, but is this really a 'must'? I feel like I've heard a lot of this before in every day life, or tracks that sound like this. Early Beatles-like influences making a listenable album. Not really inspiring me to replay it. 2.2/5
2/5 Best Track - "Goddess On A Hiway"
It's...ok. Definitely not the worst thing I've heard on this list so far. Easy listening background music.
Forgettable
I feel like the Venn diagram of people who like steampunk and this album is a circle. I don't like steampunk. 2 stars.
Interesting. Thoughtful. Intellectual. Ultimately forgettable.
Indie rock for the intellectuals.. very nice atmospheric arrangements, but also getting a bit boring
It was an interesting listen. I liked the atmosphere the album put you in. However only songs I really vibed with were Hudson Line, Goddess on a Hiway, and Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp.
Incredibly boring album, and on some songs the singer decides to use an annoying voice as well. Track 8 is quite catchy and 2:15 into the ninth track, they impress with some nice musical skills. The rest is nondescript
escuchado mientras hago guías practicas sobre la sexualidad humana para el preu. es olvidable sinceramente, no es malo, pero no es excepcional de ninguna forma
1.72
Trippy, experimental, chaotic. I don't think I'd ever actually have enjoyed this album, but I might have appreciated it more had I been familiar with the band and their oeuvre. Going in blind, though, I wanted to turn it off halfway into the first track.
Painfully boring. I literally have nothing to write for this. Fucking hell. At least it wasn't offensively boring, but come on.
Fun Fact: My daily album prior to this was Midnight Ride by Paul Revere & The Raiders, one of the standout tracks on this album is a rockin little tune called ‘Get it On’. During this song lead singer of the song Phil Volk sings “Don’t listen to them chatter, you’ve gotta use your own grey matter”. This is clever foreshadowing to how I wanted to stop listening to Mercury Rev’s boring murmurys and paint the walls of my workplace with my own grey matter from a boredom induced state of dread.
Holes - Instrumentals clicked with me on this. Vocals are alright too. The Funny Bird - Solid guitar solo Very plain album, nothing much stuck out to me. Hard to point at anything particularly bad, it was just all over the place, and nothing much was great about it. Very mid. Highlights: Holes, The Funny Bird
Forgettable in my view. So much potential. Not here.
Deserter indeed
I struggled with this one. There were one or two moments where the band really brought it all in and it sounded great, but the majority of this record was nails on a chalk board for me. Limp songs, a voice that I really couldn’t vibe with (reminded me of Wayne Coyne’s singing from The Flaming Lips, the one aspect of that band I can’t stand), and a feeling of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck. Sometimes that works, but for me this time it didn’t.
Ehhh
2.
Not really my thing at all.
I just loathe the saxophone. For the most part, I found this album pretty boring. Came away from every song without anything to hum.
Art rock מבוצע לא טוב
Profoundly irritating. Roughly 45 minutes of insincerity, mawkish lyrics, and irritating vocals. Perhaps most annoyingly, they express just enough musicality too seem pretentious but not enough to actually impress.
< The Beatles
At first I thought I liked this but the songs took quite a turn towards the end of the album. Not a big fan of the lead vocals here and some of the creative instrumentals.
No.
This sounded way too much like The Flaming Lips to me, but with a slightly better singer: 90s production meets psychedelic goofiness. My biggest thing about the Flaming Lips (and Mercury Rev) is that the lyrics try too hard to rhyme and yet still don't make any sense. The second half of "The Funny Bird" was pretty good, along with "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp". The rest (just like The FL) didn't do anything or me. NEXT.
Never heard of this band before. Some experimental music, but not too impressive overall.
Sleeping behind the wheel
Wow this is chaotic. I'm not sure what they set out to do but if this was the goal....yikes.
Aggressively middling to listen to. Can't say I really hated or disliked any part of it I listened to, but I found myself quite bored with a lot of what was presented here. Probably a big influence and all for some otherwise it wouldn't be on the list, but I can't differentiate this from a billion other indie pop musicians and bands also in existance.
spannend! am anfang war es mir zu wehleidig, dann nahm das album doch noch an fahrt auf und hat ein paar interessante songs. alles in allem aber doch eher durchschnitt
Maybe caught me on a bad day but I got annoyed.
Weird and not good weird
If this is considered some of their best work, I don't want to imagine what anything else they've put out sounds like. The vocals were really off-putting to me, but whatever "instrument" made the weird noises throughout the record made me skip through songs hoping the next would not have the same issue. 2/5
I did not like this album at all
Not bad sounds on this, but this just doesn't do much for me
Although a fan of the records that precede and follow (See You On the Other Side moreso than All Is Dream), I've never had a firm grasp on Deserter Songs. Perhaps the significant kudos placed on the record at the time set the bar too high. With some distance, it is a less expansive and ornate album than I remember or, at least, how I remember it being discussed. The strings aren't so lush and the theremin does a lot of work. It is, in fact, a much smaller record than the hype suggested and, while the music is frequently cosmic, it is the feeling of looking up at the stars rather than being among them. The record should be listened to laying on your back, whether in the cosmic moments or the somnambulistic. Although some of that is fun, Hudson Line and The Happy End lose the run of themselves quickly and Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp is never under control. See You On the Other Side, by comparison, edges even further into cacophony, but never sounds chaotic. That record is more energetic, while All Is Dream is more lush and Deserter Songs can't support its own weight or the weight that was heaped upon it. Still, the organ flourish at 3.10 in Goddess on a Hiway is the single greatest achievement in the band's career. Is that Garth Hudson? 2 I love the first minute and a half of Holes. I find it has the same haunting quality as the beginning of the Beatles’ Day in the Life - perhaps partly by sounding a bit like it I suppose; a sweet, see-sawing opening major chord crumpling into minor; a lonely phrase waiting on its friends dropping in. The Beatles accomplish this effect in seconds and with a great deal of elegance. But it still works nicely stretched out over that first minute and a half - the melody a looping four-note holding fragment while various players wander in from the darkness. It’s just as well the start is so good because the rest of the song, indeed the rest of the album, is balls. As soon as that clutter of instruments led by the drums kicks in - the atrocious bowed saw starting its daft wail, the putrid melodrama of the strings and horns (‘cinematic’ I think is the generous term) - the whole illusion falls apart. There is no songwriting, just posing. No craft, just the extrapolation of a shoddy philosophy and its accompanying tricks; why take a clear musical idea and develop it when you can just pile up voices playing looped ideas and seem as sophisticated? And the song structures? Where there isn’t just witless repetition with pauses - Holes, Endlessly - there are verses and choruses slapped together like a couple of stickle bricks - Opus 40, Goddess on a Highway. This is puerile, cowardly music-making. Still…it wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the fucking lyrics. To return to Holes for a moment; if this song begins with the album’s best music - it ends with its worst lyric. Which is saying something for an album that has Goddess on a Highway on it. ‘Bands/ those funny little Plans/ that never work quite right’. At least ‘Holes’ properly rhymes with ‘Moles’ in the previous verse. But it’s the failed attempt at some kind of confessional insight that really makes this an arse-clencher of a line. Even if you’d said it well - why would you think that the slings and arrows of your few years of being in a band would be worthy of the 5 minutes of Barber’s Adagio-mugging grandeur that preceded this poetically empty little toad of a line? Just say something else vague about ‘time’ you idiot. Still….it wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the singing. Levon Helm and Garth Hudson are on this record. 1.5/5
The Flaming Lips, but boring.
Nothing to write home about.
Don't like this at all.
Too much theremin and other warbling effects, too little singing ability. Deserved to be a 1-star album but saved by a couple surprise gems.
Not necessarily bad, but not super interesting either. A little better than some of the other albums like it on the list. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Im surprised this is here. Its a mid britpop album at best so save for a couple of tracks its really not much. The opener is good but the voice is weak.
It was ok. probably won't listen to this again.
Strange album, I was kind of expecting more with this one, but it didn't leave a strong impression on me. None of the songs were that memorable, they all look alike and are somewhat similar. Not sure how I would classify this one, perhaps as psych-pop. One of the things I liked most are the psychedelic guitar and synth solos. Don't think the genre resonates with me, I will have to do more research to understand the topic.
2.6?
what are we deserting? sanity? I respect them for doing literally whatever they want - that's kind of the whole point - but personally I'm not a fan of the weirdly disney-esque sound through most of this. Interesting, I'll give them that! And we end on an homage to my year 7 music class I see
No place on the list in my estimation. Too high pitched on some instruments and no vocal distinction to my ear.
Not bad... but kinda boring.
Direction-less noodling.
Never heared of them before. There is the Bowieesk "Opus 40" and a few other o.k. songs ("Goddess on a Hiway", "The Funny Bird", "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp"), but especially the wha-wha doodle-doodle- sound on some tracks is hard to stand for me. 2,5
Eh that kinda did nothing for me. It felt like theater kid music, and not in a way I enjoyed. Album cover: (C-) The photo is fine for invoking a mood, but it's not the mood of this album. The text design is fine I guess? I don't like the colors though.
"I hope you're hungry....for NOTHING" I feel like I forgot this album the moment it stopped playing
Kinda strange lol
Bored me to tears
Goddess on a hiway was alright but the rest of the album is pretty blegh
Eh
Mostly boring trash
Didn’t like it
Kinda fine. Kinda not mind blowing at all.
Thought we might be in for a treat after the first song but was pretty let down for the remainder. Sort of flaming lips-esque but lacking character. Idk not for me
Soms is vals zingen helemaal geen punt. Maar als je je plaat de uitstraling meegeeft van luistermuziek, dan moet het wel zuiver zijn, anders doet het wel afbreuk. Soms zijn vervormde stemmen helemaal geen punt. Dan past het in het geheel. Maar als je je plaat de uitstraling meegeeft van luistermuziek, dan moet het wel zuiver zijn, anders doet het wel afbreuk. Soms zijn gillende en buiten de muziek vallende geluiden helemaal geen punt. Maar als je je plaat de uitstraling meegeeft van luistermuziek, dan moet het wel zuiver zijn, anders doet het wel afbreuk. Soms is een snobkeuze helemaal geen punt. Maar als je de lijst een uitstraling wil meegeven van kwaliteitsmuziek, moeten de albums wel serieus te nemen zijn, anders doet het afbreuk.
Ik heb niet zoveel met chamber pop. En als de zanger dan op het 2e nummer al als een soort Sid Vicious gaat zingen, dan krijg ik kippenvel, alleen niet op de manier dat het positief bedoeld is. Het vermoeiende aan dit soort muziek is, is dat het zichzelf zo ongelooflijk serieus neemt. An sich probeert het redelijk sfeervol te zijn met wat toeters en (orgel)bellen, is het gitaartje prima te behappen, maar ik zie die gasten al heel overdreven met hun ogen dicht zitten te acteren alsof ze muzikanten zijn, op zondagochtend bij Jan Douwe Kroeske in het muziekgebouw aan t IJ. Mijn broertje komt aangelopen en vraagt: "zijn we in de Efteling beland vandaag? Dit lijkt wel de Droomvlucht." Waarschijnlijk omdat het derde nummer, met een fucking zingende zaag (wat weer meer de Fata Morgana is), lijkt op de melodie van Droomland van Paul de Leeuw. We vinken wel wat ergernishokjes af zeg, goeie genade. Ongelooflijk snobalbum, huismerk combi van Arcade Fire en Belle & Sebastian. Ik zal de 1 achterwege laten, omdat er af en toe wel goede stukken tussen zitten (zoals het middenstuk van Funny Bird, dat postrock-achtig is), maar ik heb er wel even over getwijfeld. Ergerniswekkende 2 is het verder.
2.5. I feel like I should like them more with the ethereal/ cinematic intros but it kinda goes no where
Strange
Oy this singing is too whiny and now they are playing a saw. Fuck me. Yeah, this is not for me. The instrumental was nice. But that’s it.
Started off great but slowly became background music as it went along.
Hardcore stoner rock from the early 90s. Reminds me of air supply or whatever that other one is (they might be giants? Pink Martini? that other band? idk) OH! no it reminds me of a more annoying (by comparison) `YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS` from flaming lips.
For me this album is one of those ones that I don’t really understand why it’s on the list. You know you are not particularly enjoying an album when you keep looking to see how many tracks are left to play, and I did that a lot!
Is that a Theremin I hear in the mix on several tracks? I love the experimentation if that’s the case but still, I didn’t connect with many of the songs. Just when some of the ethereal quality and melodies that have an almost lullaby nature to them would pull me in, I’d get bored as the song continued on. The album is rated pretty highly in knowing circles but it’s a 2 of 5 stars for me
definitely trying to eat flaming lips nachos... some of it swims, and some stinks. #cornball
Mercury Rev were a 90s band that I heard a lot about but didn't really listen to back in the day. Having listened to this album, I realize they aren't my style and didn't miss much. Cool band name tho.
Not annoying, but also not good. Convincingly average.
Ugh, not for me.
Hmmm, didn't really love it. But it was fine. It's the guy from a flaming lips. I like his voice but it was missing what makes flaming lips so good. Felt a little empty.
1.5 He truly just picks British versions of better North American bands to fill out this list, I swear (in this case, it’s a watered-down version of The Flaming Lips). Also, why is there a track of, like, Mario 64 sounds at the end?
Bland.
Not into it
2.0 Probably didnt pay it enough attention as I was listening, but nothing really stood out for me
Just feels like flaming lips lite
this album didn't fascinated me tbh two songs were likeable, but this album wont get a part in my collection.
It sounds like shoegaze flaming lips. But unlike how the vocals play into atmosphere and absurd lyrics in Flaming Lips songs, here they just kind of sound bad. There are some highlights but overall it’s just not very good. Favorite song: The Funny Bird Least Favorite song: Hudson Line
Again I didn't mind this but so like The Flaming Lips. Didn't deserve to be on this list.
Ugh more shoegaze. I quite like the weird little instrumental interludes throughout this album, but the lyrical songs are meh.
the singer’s voice reminded me of wayne coyne, kind of. meh.
Best Song: Opus 40. There's a soft of uplifting quality to the orchestration here. Worst Song: The Happy End. Why have this discordant track three quarters of the way through the album? Nothing about this is happy or the end. Overall: Really weak vocals, which also seem to be the focus of the album? Not a great combination. Otherwise, completely ordinary and forgettable. If I heard a song from this album again in one month, I doubt I'd even recognize it.
This was a strange listen. Heard it twice but couldn't pick out one song. Didn't dislike the experience but nothing really stuck. May have been me today
Never heard of this band... Sounds like almost orchestral indie music? The guy has a pretty high and sort of whiny voice, but it's not too bad. His voice seems almost out of place, there are these grand arrangements and then he just has kind of a thin voice with weird melodies over the top. Overall I liked a lot of the music but the songs didn't super do it for me because of the vocals
Fint nok, drømmende alt rock
graaatinggggg i mean musically quite nice but that voice ??? i hated it
If it wasn't November 6th 2024 this morning as I listen to this is could be a bit more objective. So while not terrible it loses a star because I feel terrible about the country/world being doomed
It's alright. There were a couple good songs on there, but nothing to really make me want to listen to it again.
I liked the atmosphere, but the music was often was boring and a bit tedious. No real genius on display here. Even though the vocals were poor I wouldn't have minded if the music was more worthwhile.
Meh.
This album reminded me so much of Empire of the Sun
You can have a lot of orchestral arrangements, but that doesn't always help to make a song better. A few nice things here and there, but I already forgot everything about that one. Sorry.
I don’t get it. It’s very boring.
ass
Not really for me
This was an odd little mess that I just can't describe, other than to say that I can understand why deserters may have chosen to do so.
This fluctuated for me. I started off liking it, got pretty turned off, maybe turned a bit positively and then kinda plumeted.
Fraile vocals, shoegaze guitars, big orchestral arrangements - it's very cinematic but like a movie with cool cinematography that's extremely boring and goes on way to long probably staring Ethan Hawke. Yet again, after many attempts upon lots of recommendations, I just cannot get with this band. Favorites: Goddess on the Highway
Remember not being keen
blah. at best it was forgettable background music. worst-vocals were super weak & sounds were just odd.
Hmmm ... simply boring