Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Not my cup of tea.
Pari passelia kappaletta ei vielä pelastanut tätä erikoista settiä.
not bad but forgettable
I knew I should have given the last album a 2 star, this is algorithm type garbage. Just because we had one sort of good British rock band doesn’t mean we need another even worse one the next day. What did we do wrong?!
Couldn't wait for it to be over. Horrid singing and nightmare fuel level instrumentals; almost Tim Burton-esque. Anyone liking this is kidding themselves. 4/10.
This was a very bizarre listen for me. I thought the first 2/3 of the album was incoherent and aimless, very airy and discordant. But then I got to the final third, which I thought brought an unexpected and eerie maturity and gravity that almost made me wonder if I was listening to an entirely different album. There are exactly 3 songs worth listening to on this album, but those songs are frankly excellent in my opinion. Top tracks: Goddess On A Hiway, The Funny Bird, Pick Up If You're There
Maso
Holes was rlly nice and goddess on a hiway was also interesting Made me v sad idk it’s giving 2000s romcom soundtrack
Forty minutes of droning followed by his cat running across his keyboard - 2/5 Reviewed on 16/08/2024
a forgettable mystery. what was this?
Kept thinking I was listening to Flaming Lips for some reason.
This was an incredibly diverse album in sound, and something that was similar and yet still not quite like anything else that has been featured on this project, but still not one I really enjoyed all that much. It didn't grate on my nerves necessarily, but I also wasn't excited by it. I was just very indifferent about it. Probably a 2.5, but don't really feel like it earned a round up from me.
Never heard of this group. Really sit to learn that they’re American and even more so that they met at SUNY Buffalo. Not surprised that they haven’t ever broken through here. I did like the Hudson Line song. The rest, not so much.
Wut?
A few ok tracks but mostly disappointing
Never got why this was so rated. 1st track was ok, bit like Flaming Lips but not as good, the rest was pretty forgettable.
Boring.
did not liked it not in the mood maybe.. 80s rap/hip hop, with world music (afican percission etc). not timelles IMHO.
I didn't think I'd ever heard anything from this album before, but it turns out I knew one track a little. Left feeling pretty much the same, as none of it really hit me as memorable in the slightest. Only an hour after listening to it, I couldn't tell you what sort of music it was, other than atmospheric/ cinematic/ dull...
Sure I would have loved the album if I'd discovered it in 6th form but found it very repetitive
Ok but a bit bland. Very Flaming Lips-eque
This is fairly good. There are, however, a few forgettable songs on here also.
This is another album that feels like the cast recording to some kind of musical I don't want to see. Cool that these guys are off doing their own weird little thing and all, but I'm not into it.
i forgot what went on here
eher nö, zu elegisch
Overall not really a fan. Late 90s, had some cool psy beats in certain songs, and the popular songs (according to Amazon Music) were cool. Not interested in more.
84/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
I usually like shoegaze, but this really didn’t click with me
Meni jotenki phi
First song on the album is good but unfortunately not much good follows
I listen to to the whole thing yesterday, and can't remember anything significant today.
Sok. Nothing special
This was a weird one. I liked a lot of the music and could see myself vibing with it. But I couldn’t stand the vocals. They ruined the song almost every time. 2.5/5
sounds like Wilco. two stars
Lots of positive reviews on this one. I just couldn't get into it. I enjoy the alternative psychedelic nature of it, but the vocals are odd and unpleasant. Lots of weirdness abound that just doesn't sound very good. I couldn't latch onto a single track. It didn't work for me.
Deserter's Songs starts well with Holes, and then nothing else is quite as good or interesting as that. It's all a bit wishy washy, the vocals generally don't do it for me, the...creative instrumental accents don't do it for me, and the rest of sort of just middle of the road alternative rock. 2.
What do they have against the letters 'gh'? Otherwise not that much to write home about. Holes probably makes it onto an LCD Soundsystem (not as a single though), maybe Opus 40 does, but everything else feels a bit too lightweight. 2/5.
Didn’t like the singers voice. The arrangements were unsubtle and cheesy. It sounded like a rock band trying to be mature and clever by using an orchestra but it just sounded heavy handed and immature.
Have I heard this album before? No Highlights: Opus 40, Hudson Line, Goddess On A Highway Rating: 5.6/10 Never heard of this group so had no idea what to expect. It’s some indie dream pop type music which is well produced but, bar a few great tunes, didn’t excite me that much. Overall a decent listen.
Some potentially interesting music, but his voice is too annoying to make another trip.
Allejezus wat onprettig
Soms gewoon vals en redelijk rare geluiden
Opzich gaat het wel totdat amang de snavel open doet
J'ai dû aller réécouter des extraits car quelques jours après je n'étais déjà plus capable de me rappeler de comment ça sonnait, ce qui est très évocateur. Générallement j'ai trouvé que l'amalgame de son et d'influence était très intéressant, mais le résultat est tellement fade. L'utilisation du thérémine joue plus contre l'album qu'autre chosee. J'ai l'impression qu'il y a beaucoup d'aspects intéressants, mais mal exécuté. 4/10
Very meh.
quite ok ;-)
I am feeling like I don't have a ton to say about this experience - it was fine...?
Sound like a band from before the late 90s. Weird. Goddess on a Highway is a good song.
2.5
15 seconds into the first track and I said "oh boy, here we go." The album as a whole turned out better than expected, but still meh. This guy's vocals are something else...and not in a good way. Whiney and just not really too pleasant to listen to, but not across thew whole album. At parts his voice was fine. Overall, the instrumentals of this album are good and at least captivating. I'd say this album is a 2.5 stars, but due to some of the album being borderline unlistenable, I gotta round down to two.
Was okay Favourite track- holes, tonite it shows
Boring. Poser throwback to psychedelic rock I guess. 2.4.
Need to sit with this one a bit more, but this was a great discovery!
Can’t say this was what I expected to hear when I pressed “Play.” Can’t say I really liked it, either. Not bad, just not my cup of tea. I read one description of the album that said the band made this mostly for themselves rather than to please critics, and I’m happy for them for that.
Zzzzz.
p833. 1998. 2.5 stars. Twee trippy psychedelic pop with fey vocals and one standout song (Goddess On A Highway). Other than that, this gets tiresome and pretentious reallll soon.
Tim Burton-y? Beatles-y? Wiggly…somehow familiar but I’ve never heard of them. I’m baffled on if I enjoyed it or not. Plenty of skips, just a little too weird for me.
Poor man’s Coldplay. Like, dollar bin
Too soft / slow for me - didn't finish honestly
gewoon te veel
Pages of 4 and 5 star reviews but an average of 3? Someone's been boosting reviews ... It's a non-album. Nothing of note at all.
tooo syrupy, in a bad, really bad time to listen to that
Album #: 363 (#305 rated) first impressions: this is going to be weird and very 90's, I think. after listening through: that was not unpleasant -- kind of an amalgamation of the Flaming Lips + Radiohead, but fun + early Coldplay? Anyway, I'm pretty sure I will forget this album in a few weeks at the longest. It was fine, but didn't really resonate emotionally for me and the music was just too weird on purpose for me. post-reading reviews/wiki: I tried to read the Spotify bio for this band and it was entirely too long to comprehend. You know it's going to be juicy when they immediately bring up tensions in the band and lineup changes. Also, sorry for piling on with the Flaming Lips comparison. I really didn't cheat and peak at the comments before writing that. recommended for: Fans of the bands this album sounds like, people who hate music that fits into one genre; people who like "musicians' musicians"
This one started of cool. Some of the songs were just too weird for me. I prefer the tracks that have a psychedelic/shoegaze feel to them. Kinda reminiscent of Spiritualized.
Nah
Really weird. Especially the last song. Was a bit too strange for me
Not enjoyable
The album did not feel like anything special to me. It wasn't bad and wasn't particularly spectacular. It really sounded like many other forgettable albums that are produced by quite forgettable bands. I've rated it two stars not because I think it's bad but because the album didn't really do anything for me. Despite just finishing it, I really could not say a song that really stuck with me besides Holes... maybe. Even though Holes is a good song but nothing remarkable, and that is a good summation of the entire album.
Weird nerdy nasal hollow sounding stuff
Left me constantly wanting more fr the album. Never delivered
Joli instrumental mais je n'ai pas du tout accroché ni aimé la voix du chanteur.
Not good lol
Tämähän on ihan iloinen levy. Ilman ihme huiluraitoja ois kivenpaa goottia. Vuoden 1997 paras? Joko huono vuosi tai en osaa kuunnella.
Tämän tarkoituksena on herättää (noloja) tunteita, missä se pari kertaa onnistuikin - hyvä! Toisaalta materiaali on suurilta osin tasapaksua, ja se on esitetty tavalla, joka osoittaa liiallisia luuloja omista kyvyistä, ja tekee tykästymisestä mahdollisimman vaikeaa.
Interesting. I have heard of, but am not familiar with, Mercury Rev. I feel like Q was really into them in the 90s. This is much different than I thought it would be. How? Well it’s much worse for example. It’s more over-orchestrated symphonic shit. I thought punk erased this crap. This would not have survived the first two tracks were I not committed to this project. Yeah this is fucking terrible. ELO-level terrible. Like a made-for-TV musical. Plus his voice isn’t good OR interesting. I wonder if this is a one-man vision too. Two-man, so that’s cool I guess. And they’re American, which surprises me. Just a little too much whimsy for my taste. Yeah, no.
annoyed me
I get the feeling that people thought this was a Flaming Lips album until they got a couple tracks in.
Werd steeds zemeliger
Wat een vervelende stem!
I don't like the singers style of singing, he makes each song sound the same.
Вполне нормально, на фоне послушать можно, но переслушивать нет смысла
'90s psychedelic rock with an annoying voice. If you can stand the singing, it's probably quite good, but I can't. Favorite song: Pick up if you're there, because it's instrumental.
The remix album is better
This high-pitched, dreamscape type voice and instrumentals is really hard to listen to for an extended period of time. Shockingly so, the tracks on the album that avoid this are the best ones (Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp, Hudson Line). At the end of the day, though, the album mostly felt cartoonish and was hard to take seriously for most of it.
2.5/5. Weird, did not really enjoy this. I guess the music itself is fine, it's just not for me.
I thought it was like the Flaming Lips but not as good. It had its moments. They were ahead of the game.
Completamente negligivel
Ehh, I could maybe come around to liking this more on repeated listens and on a different day. I had no idea about the Flaming Lips connection, but have been aware of Mercury Rev as a band for ages. Problem is, I completely expected something entirely different. I had it in my head that they were a post-punk band of some ilk or another, and I was very wrong about that. So, I should give this another shot sometime. I suspect I’ll like it more… but until then TWO STARS. #nomercy
Kind of reminds me of a more twee Flaming Lips. Wikipedia says the bands have some history together, so it's not super surprising. I like the latter half of the album more, when it's more of a blend of rock and chamber pop, and less chamber pop. That's a personal preference, though. Favorite tracks: "The Funny Bird", "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp"
Cat: Pretty cool! Love the instrumentation. Very creative. Sounds kinda like Flaming Lips, then I looked them up and they’re known to be tied to them. CLARINETIST WOOOOO. Endlessly is quite weird. Like a Tim Burton Fairytale. It’s all quite weird, but really really well done. Everything is grandiose and orchestral. Actually much prefer listening to this than FL. AJ: Noticed that Goddess on the Hiway is the most played song on Spotify. Not surprised it’s easily the best song. The Funny Bird right after it is pretty cool too. Tim Burton or Wes Anderson? Weird movie score music. Guy’s voice annoys me in most of the songs. Feel like Goddess was the single and it probably got a lot of people to listen. And then they got a Tim Burton or Wes Anderson movie score. And instead of a visual story, this guy just squeaked alot. Hudson Line voice was different and some guitar. That was ok too. Some good points, for sure. But nah.
killer first track, but went downhill in some foggy pop synth melancholy
This is an interesting album. I liked the song Hudson Line (cool sax, cool guitar) but it mostly felt like showtunes. Very diverse.
Quite boring honestly
Quirky, harmless, not exciting; not sure how NME gave this an "album of the year" award
Actually listened to Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus: 3
Sounds an awful lot like Flaming Lips to me. Not sure which one came first, but I'm not a huge fan of either.
2.7 couple of good ones
This was weird. And not in a good way. Couldn’t get past the third song.
Decent,
I think I might be wrong as the Internet loves this...but I struggled so bad, I found it so limp and lackluster and his voice was aggravating, 2 stars, but there is a part of me that think I may have not given it a real chance...
Bara stråkar
This one was...different, lol. I'm not entirely sure if I liked it or not, but it was an interesting trip to be sure. The vibe was like, Tim Burton releases an album that sounds like the 70's, but was made in the 90's. Maybe that's your cup of tea, but I was left a little wanting. I can't think of one song that really stood out (I'm re-listening to some songs to write this review), they all had a very similar sound which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Very ethereal and dreamy, and I don't know if I ever figured out exactly what the album was trying to say. There were also a few lyric-less musical interludes that I rather enjoyed. It kind of had a few songs with early White Stripes vibes, which I can definitely get down with. This is especially prevalent in the lead singer's sound which reminded me of Jack White especially on Goddess on a Hiway. I could see several songs appearing in the slow moving, climactic final scene in a Tarantino film, so it feels like a product of its time. Favorite track: Goddess on a Hiway
I probably suck but I found this incredibly boring
It’s Arcade Fire with more theremin, less tympani, and a whole lotta weed.
I've never heard of this, and the cover isn't giving much away. I'm guessing some kind of indie rock? omfg this guy would have to be the worst lyricist of all time. This is laughably bad, his rhymes are I guess meant to be whimsical, but fuck they come off as PATHETIC. oh and the music is just some equally annoying, toothless garbage. Genuinely frustrating to listen to. 2/5.
This album has some very nice moments, but it struggles to really maintain or develop them. Like a joke without a punchline. Like a firefly without a light. Like a ship without a rudder. Two sad dogs without a bone. 🐕🐕
Nope
Fav songs: - Goddess on a Hiway
I liked the first song. I remember theres a line about moles in holes. Thought it was alright at best.
-First half of the album is megaboring -Album picks up in the second half. "Hudson Line," and "Funny Bird" were good. -"Funny Bird" was probably the best, it actually got heavy -"Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" has a good thumping groove, but the back half of the song is just random noise nonsense -Honestly there are like 6 minutes of quality music on this album, it was bordering on a 3 but so much is boring crap so it gets a 2
2/5
Funny bird is a crazy journey. Delta sun bottleneck stomp sounds like bron-y-aur stomp.
A few track were ok, but overall I didn't enjoy most of this one. Sounded like Coldplay but like if they weren't that good yet. Nothing too memorable unfortunately
Never heard of this band before today. Eh the music is ok, nothing that immediately jumps out or grabs my attention. It is quite slow in some parts and almost put me to sleep. I'll give there other stuff a chance but I don't think I found my new favorite band.
Well-composed and well-performed music, albeit not very interesting at times to my admittedly untrained ears.
Lots of interesting musical ideas but I wasn’t too into it. I wasn’t crazy about the lead singer’s vocals. “Hudson Line” (which has a different lead vocalist) and “The Funny Bird” stood out as strong tracks.
A bit of a damp squib to cap off 50 albums of this project. Seen the Flaming Lips comparisons from many reviewers and immediately feared the worst. As it happens, it’s not as bad as that. But it’s still very meandering and dull for the most part. Doubt I’d ever return to this one.
Bof, ok. Il y a une belle tentative d’exploration, mais ça me laisse plutôt froid.
Was alright
Sorta of like Bob Dylan meets a theremin.
Not feeling it
My god, the music press went nuts for this one back in the day. But what a drag of an album in time- a tuneless singer, unnecessary theremin, an assortment of sounds and whistles here and there, floaty tracks with no discernible meanings. A pretentious affair with no levity.
If you close your eyes and pretend this is a lost Flaming Lips album it makes it even more disappointing.
Don’t really know Mercury Rev. I knew Holes but was only half-aware it was by them. And from the voice on that track, I assumed they were a comedy / pastiche band. And I still have that feeling as I listen to the tracks after Holes. The melody of Tonight It Shows made me initially think it was a cover of Stairway To Heaven. And I just don’t like that voice (sounds put-on). The high register (which in places sounds like someone playing a saw) and the fragments of popular and throwaway tunes do nothing to change this perception. I don’t find the album offensive, and it does have a old time Hollywood movie / dreamy quality in places. But call me a misery - music is music and this type of silliness is not what I look for in a band or album that I would choose to sit down & spend much time with.
Omfg this guy's voice is awful. Theremin. More theremin. Yeah, this isn't my thing. Not unlisten-to-able, not no discernable merit.
This is the fourth album from the rock band Mercury Rev, and was not expected to be a hit for the band, after their previous album was a flop. Because of this, the band tried new experimental sounds using classical instruments and a lot of instrumental parts on songs. This paid off, and the album became popular soon after release. It goes to show, that producing what you love - and are interested in - is better than adhering to commercial influences. The music was pretty chill and even gloomy for a rock band, but most critics loved the unique sound. I also liked the weirdness of this album, even if the music is not my normal choice.
Ridiculous.
Very weird, a few songs I enjoyed, but mostly a lot of strange stuff that didn't work for me.
A merry curve from the norm. Very Flamings Lips-ish, but not quite as entertaining
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Holes, Tonite It Shows Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Great story behind the album and I'm happy for them and all but the vocals man...
Does nothing for me and the singers voice is highly irritating. I was happy to listen to the instrumental aspect of this until the Funny Bird topped me over the edge in pure frustration.
2/5 not quite enough
There are several stunning compositions and brave production decisions throughout this album, but they're overshadowed by odd interludes and a cheese factor that's hard to shake and dates the LP heavily.
I listened at night and thought it was a little too ambient so tried again today. Same answer. I flipped the first few songs to a friend and asked what she thought. She said it sounded like a wave of music designed to be played for your plants to listen to. I wasn't aware of such a genre but the first few songs seem to fit in nicely. The beginning was painfully ambient but I like some of the tunes when they pick it up a bit. Examples: Opus 40 and Hudson Line. Happy End transitions to experimental / avant garde which didn't work for me. Overall, most of it isn't rocking my boat.
For whatever reason, I thought Mercury Rev was an industrial band..perhaps a Ministry side-project or something. Initially, I was pleasantly surprised to be served a fat slice of psych-pop. "Holes" is a catchy track that reminded me of some early Flaming Lips--a quick wikipedia-hole later and it turns out 3 of their members have been involved with the Flaming Lips (the more you know 🌈). Loving the spooky vibe on "Endlessly" and "I Collect Coins". And then, "Hudson Line" happens where some cheesy sax, guitar, organ (?), etc. solos just demolish the dreamscape vibe. The album blew it in the 2nd half. The Atlanta Falcons of albums. PATRIOTS WIN THE SUPERBOWL. At least the last track was goofy as hell. ⭐⭐
Forgettable
Rating: 4/10
Despite the very interesting history behind this album, it did literally nothing for me. Hell, I have forgotten what the first song even sounded like as I listen to the last song on the album. I mean, there is nothing about this album that sticks with me or will cause me to want to listen to any of its tracks in the future. "Not my thing" doesn't go nearly far enough in covering it.
Not my favorite. Good elements, something felt off though.
The funny bird was nice, added it to a playlist, but I just couldn't gel with this album
Lots of high pitched squealing/whistling noises. Very annoying.
Good band ruined by a dreadfully weak singer.
Mmmm. Going between 2 and 3 but going to round it down.
- worship or leave it
In the interest of time, and not rambling on negatively, I'll borrow from Hady's reaction to this album: "Disney karaoke". My reaction: "if the Flaming Lips were normal drama kids in HS and didn't have wild ass Steve Drodz". C-
Meh
Boring and inoffensive. I listened to it around 1.5 times skipping around and kept forgetting I had it on in the background.
I’ve heard of Mercury Rev, but had never actually heard them until today. Inoffensive gentle pop with orchestral flair. The music of first four songs had a slow melancholy vibe - the kind of background music to be played after the funeral but before the burial as friends and family mill around the cemetery. (That said, lyrics don’t really fit that vibe: “Holes, dug by little moles, angry jealous Spies, got telephones for eyes”) // The album starts to wake up on “Opus 40” I enjoyed “The Goddess on the Highway” and “The Happy Bird”, but that may be because they were such an improvement over the previous material. There is also a hidden (?) track of art/noise/rock after the end of “Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp”. Unnecessary.
Bit too twee
I really didn't love this album. I thought it was pretty monotonous and not super interesting. It felt like a middle school-esque angst type of album.
Cant really get into this. Ethereal in a weird way.
Some good tracks but veers to much into wacky stuff that gets tiresome.
Blah, didn't enjoy. Didn't like the wobbly theramine noises in a lot of the songs, thought they sounded pretentious.
I'm probably failing on some muso front, but this one wasn't really for me 🙈
Sad, calming but beats felt robotic
meh
Very 'experimental style of music. Definitely not to my taste but if your looking for something quite different then this might be your thing.
Totaal niet mijn smaak maar wel bijzondere pop en stem
Zzzzzz.... Repetitive and boring. There was a reason that I didn’t like this band. Now I remember it
Sounds like the soundtrack to a shitty whimsical movie. Singer's voice is grating.
Couldn’t find a way in.
Bläh
DNF - what is this muppets Christmas carol type bullshit dude try again random album generator Seeing as you can’t reverse music ratings I’m cordially making this a REDO of Maverick A Strike, it’s a 5 fucker I love itttt
Was a good listen!! Eclectic AF. Liked the orchestration - lots of midi. Goddess on a Hiway in particular stood out. And then the first half of Delta Sun was a bangerrr. Admittedly the outro was a little bizarre lol
Where to begin? A bland collection of Sufjan-esque duds that sound like the cast recording of a musical no one asked for. A musical, mind you, where all of the songs are from Act I because absolutely nothing happens. This album might work if it was presented as a collection of lullabies but even then the risk of irreversible coma would not be insignificant. They try to ratchet it up to mid-tempo with the last track that I assume is sarcastically labeled a “stomp” but by then it’s way too late. NME named this the album of the year in 1998 which is a surprising way to find out that someone from Mercury Rev’s grandma worked for NME.
Звуковое сопровождение проходного фильма. Знакомство с альбом прошло очень многообещающе. Такой ранний, неотесанный tame impala, предвкушает. что-то ностальгирующее интересное. Ты ждёшь чего-то примерно ещё два трека далее весь альбом для тебя превращается в унылое музыкальное сопровождение развязки драматического фильма-жвачки нулевых. Описание намного интереснее и красочнее того, что я услышал. Долго описывать этот альбом не буду, безусловно можно выделить совсем малые и не очевидные плюсы, но считаю это излишним для оценки в 2.5/10.
2whimsical4me 1/5
Interesting instrumentation by the band but the songs dont stack up. Goddess on a highway is funny and the best of a lot left well alone
1.2/5 Very average album with only a couple of half decent tracks.
Somehow these people got to the end of recording this dreck and said, "Oh yeah; nailed it!"
What in the nonsense did I just listen to? This is a no for me Bob.
Pretentious garbage
I’m glad I never knew this dude before and am no better for knowing him now. I most definitely did not need to listen to this album (or even the 50% of it I did) before I died, fuck sake, give me my 20 mins back.
No no no. I tried 2 songs and I can’t do it but I bet some people love it. 1 star
eww
Day 26 — Mercury Rev — Deserter's Songs (1998) Listened: April 2026 Genre: Psychedelic Rock / Orchestral Indie Rock Vibe: Lush and cinematic but deeply strange — orchestral arrangements wrapped around songs that feel like they're drifting in and out of a dream. Highlights: ★ Opus 40 Impression: Hard to connect with. Weird and slow-moving, and even after four or five listens I never found solid footing. A couple of moments broke through but mostly felt like work. Not my world. Rating: 1.2/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? No
Oh no, I cannot stand the lead singer's voice. I keep wincing every time it breaks or gets thin and raspy on a high note. I was going to say I like all of the other musical elements until I started hearing the spaceship wailing noises in the first track ... safe to say, I am not a fan of this album.
boring couldnt finish tbh
Not for me..
I aggressively do not like this.
Yea nah this pissed me off!
Um, nope.
A few good songs, but the album was all over the place. 1/5
This was bad. I wish I could give it zero stars. I’m embarrassed to have listened to any of it
This was whiny and weird and I like it a lot less than Flaming Lips stuff, which I already generally dislike. I suppose I’ve found my hater niche
Impeccably strange vibes with entirely too much Theremin. Forgettable with an overly synth-y aesthetic (bug, not a feature). DNF.
Warm, dreamlike arrangements built from hushed guitars, glowing strings, soft piano, brushed percussion, and vocals folded gently into the haze move this psychedelic indie album like drifting through a half-remembered fairground at dusk feeling gauzy and inward.
I was completely ready to be pleasantly surprised by this album at the onset of the theremin solo, and then it was brought in again in bad taste. By the awful Beatles pastiche it was written off completely, and from there on it was just unnecessary incoherent rambling with one OK song thrown in the mess. I’m rounding down for this fucking wanker to have wasted my time.
Meh. All the songs were interesting in a purely scientific way but this was not a enjoyable listening experience. I'd definitely rather listen to something else.
I used to get "Goddess on The Hiway" force-fed to me by streaming services, and it is one of the most annoying songs I have ever heard in my life. I had to blacklist it to stop hearing it. No fucking way I'm delving deeper. Reading the reviews likening it to Tripping Daisy and early Flaming Lips only firms my resolve. Horrible.
Guys, if you want to get high on a Friday night and jam out for a few hours in the downstairs rec room, that's cool. That doesn't justify turning it into an album for public consumption.
This was so boring. I am giving it 1 star because you absolutely do not need to hear this before you die, and this list has plenty of BETTER indie rock albums, so we don't need the average ones. Given there are some big omissions on this list, this is unnecessary.
Straight up garbage ngl 2/5
No thanks
I could have done without the reminder that Mercury Rev existed, and “Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp” scared the shit out of me.
Ugh, just no. 1
It's like Strawberry Fields, Pink Floyd's The Wall, and Radiohead had a methed out love child. The combination is so much less than the sum of it's parts. Weird and boring. I do hear sounds that echoed into the later indie rock movement 10 years later, but since I really can't stand indie rock that's not a compliment.
Been trying desparately to think of something possitive to say but for me it was just uninspiring rubbish. 1
A band I’ve heard of but not listened to, so I was looking forward to this. The opening couple of bars was promising! Then he started ‘singing’, and I wished I’d have played the instrumental version I saw in Apple Music. A couple of minutes in and I’ve abandoned the idea of playing the instrumental as the warble on the penny whistle is like finger nails down a chalkboard. I suppose it matched the horrendous wailing of the vocalist. The album just got worse and worse, bottoming out at ‘The Happy End’. It then turned a small corner with the familiar and bearable ‘Godess on a Hiway’ and then the highlight ‘The Funny Bird’. Not enough to lift it to a 2, as there’s far too much experimental out of tune nonsense.
Sounds like a highly sensitive teenager who has the GarageBand skills to make an album, but nothing to say. Stopped my daily streak because I did not want to listen to any more albums like this.
Not as experimental or interesting as it wants to be. The song structures are pretty standard and predictable. I can hear a big Flaming Lips influence, and you’re better off just listening to the Lips if you want this sort of spacey rock done in a compelling way.
boring and unimpressive
Certainly an album of all time
Ähh a little weird. First song and one in the middle goddess on a hiway were good. Otherwise too psychedelic
0/5 Honestly, I was quite surprise surprised to see so many 5/5 reviews. What did I miss?
Kind of like an older flaming lips. 1/5
was interesting in places but lost me when he started that dreadful tuneless whistling. 0 stars for that alone.
Profoundly boring. Like if you tried to make an ambient album but you didn’t give the instrumentation the breadth or interest necessary to evoke any sort of feeling. Also you put really middling vocals over it. I would need to maybe triple my dose of amphetamines to sit through this entire thing and pay it my full attention.
Boring….just boring
Honestly? A tough listen. Giving it two stars because there was at least one song I kind of dug, and I don't know what else is going to be on this list but...man, it's weird sounding stuff. Edit: having now listened to more albums on this list, fuck this album. One star. Who likes this shit? Weird, weird music. Faves: - Holes - Opus 40 - Goddess on a Hiway
I think I am going to write a book ... and call it, "1,001 Albums That You Can Die Happy without Ever Needing To Hear"
All of this high pitched singing / instrumentation is quite grating. Oh wait, is there actually one good song on the album? Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp to the rescue! God dammit why are there Looney Tunes sound effects at the end??? And I was this close to bumping up to a 2. I can see why there is an edited version of this song.
miserable
trash
Oh fuck off. This was like a musical or something. But not a good one. Not for me
More and more I am convinced the author of 1,001... wants to see how much shit we will put up with. A smattering of must have truly great albums to keep hope up. However, my hope is fading. Eight straight days with the best rating a 3, and only one of those. Giving this a 1 star seems generous.
Never heard of these guys before. 1 track in so far and its awful! 2 tracks in... its getting worse. 3 tracks... guess what.... yup... worse even still. 4... I just cant. I give up... I couldn't be more bored.
Deep and dirgey. Not sure I like it.
This might be someone's jam but it ain't mine.
I find this singer's voice intolerable. The music is great. Couldn't finish two songs.
Nothing. Utterly forgettable. By the time I'd finished listening to it I had no idea it even existed.
This album does not fuck. At all. It is entirely possible no album has ever fucked less. Is that a theremin I'm hearing or a glockenspiel? Who gives a fuck. Never ever listening to this shit again.
Eh. Not for me.
- gefiel mir nicht so gut - vor allem die Stimmenlage war einfach anstrengend und ich konnte nicht wirklich in die Musik eintauchen
literally not good idk it sounds like it would be down my alley but it kinda gives christian music energy and also i don’t like this guys vocals but thats just me! It's not often that I zone out to an album and then stir just to turn it the fuck off because that's how much it annoys me. It's probably the most boring rock album I've ever heard.
Retro-vibed pop rock, totally mid tempo and relying on lush arrangements to develop the texture instead of pushing the dynamics, having a hook (goddess on a highway chorus aside) or anything fun like that. Dreamy and dull. The singer's voice annoys me. What if Bruce Springsteen made an album of fairy-tale lullabies? Bass is far and away the best thing about this album and probably all that saves it from one star. Bored. Favourite tracks: Goddess on a Highway, pick up if you're there
Not a fan, a little too alternative for me.
not for me. the vocals werent doing it for me and i found most of the instrumentals boring
Voice is annoying at best
Couldn't listen to this. Not enjoyable
Definite no from me
There is one song I really like on this which is "The Funny Bird", the review is for the rest of it. I think there was some sort of loose constellation of a movement around chamber pop in the 90s (which by then kinda meant any alternative rock that was intentionally trying to exclude any stylistic borrowing from punk) and this record is weirdly one of the most acclaimed, but most banal examples from that whole scene. Same with The Flaming Lips, I really don't click with both bands. So this suffers from the same disease The Flaming Lips do where this record is really big and theatrical sounding and wants you to know how arty it is, but it also has no edge, no passion and no raw emotion to it beyond being this really fussy, manic pixie dream boy musak. Honestly in a way that reminds me of why I don't like Taylor Swift it's like that bad. Both bands also share this same whiny vocal style that sounds almost like Mac Demarco to me; twee and resigned and castrated and dude fuck this I really just wish I was listening to Tindersticks right now instead.
Indulgent. Boring.
O disco apresenta momentos quase brilhantes, revelando uma criatividade e originalidade notáveis. As ideias e a abordagem até parecem ser únicas e capazes de prender inicialmente a atenção. No entanto, o desenvolvimento da sequência das músicas deixando espaços para um aborrecimento.
Bands that sing and play off key are supposed to at least be interesting or inventive in some way but I found this album both bad and boring.
Hated everything about this. See some people comparing to the Flaming Lips, who i actually typically like. And strangely I can see the similarities but still really hated this one.
when they included melodies from The Lord's Prayer in their song, they lost me.
Not sure what this is. It sounds like a really really really bad version of the Flaming Lips. I have zero idea how this made the list.
This is an absolutely miserable effort at making music. I read a bunch of 5 reviews and feel like there cannot be any doubt I am being gaslighted. I love music. I am a musician. This is some really bad cringeworthy crap and I shudder at the type of person that finds joy and meaning here.
Goddam is this ever fucking awful
Grrrrrr
he geil wiedermol 90er indie shit. lang her. sini stimm erinneret mich a jede ander 90er Indie sänger. song isch no schön. sehr joo nostalgie jo weischno früener. hass wiener de hoch ton nie richtig trifft. aaah das het de glich producer wie the soft bulletin. nöd es guets zeiche. tonite it shows macht de whimsical shit. iiii shit dasch nöd guet. aaah ich mag das nöd. ich checks aber s isch kritiker:inne musig aaah wiso macht bi endlessly d flöte plötzlich "schlaaaf in himmlischer ruh"? oke da mue bewusst sii. hass so lärm interludes wo nüt mached. opus 40 tönt wieder wie en song. coools schlagzüg es passiered sache finds super. mag sini stimm würkli nöd aber i dem kontext funktioniert sie gad. eeebdlich hudson line hett chli seele mannn würkli sie chönd jo musig mache. AH DEFÜR TÖNT THE HAPPY END WIE MINI ALPTRÄUM ALS CHIND COOL. ich hasses extrem fest. goddess on a hiway isch chli chilliger i guesss aber puh. happy end huere schlimm kei ahnig. NME het gfunde s seg s beste album vom johr 1998. demfall e scheissjohr oder es sind afoch pretentious musigkritiker:inne. das lusdige vogul. find nöd so lusdig. er will chli john lennon sii mit de stimmverzerrig. finds zwor besser als woner falsch gsunge het aber jo. nöd geil. pick up if you're there isch meh athmosphäre wieder. meh. nöd so geil. delta sun bottleneck stomp het ENDLICH wieder mol rhythmus. es sind immerno die sloppy-indie blöser debii die hetmer möse haa ide 90er. aber s het ab und zue e e gitarre und e kickdrum und es macht eigentli spass zum lose.
I just can't.
Out-of-tune singing, empty sentimentality
This felt like punishment.
The mystical aspect in Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs was very beautiful! The album started off in such a nice way, and I was reminded of Lana Del Rey’s elegance and airy vibe. But then there was the baffling creative decision of continuous otherworldly sounds. These two layers contradicted each other and nothing was enjoyable. What I'm saying is that Mercury Rev had a lot of potential and they squandered it. This was 44 minutes wasted!
Muito melancolico pro meu gosto
Is it interesting? Yeah, sorta. Do I want to hear it again? No! Am I happy I heard it once? I'd be the same person if I never heard it. I'm gonna say even for something a bit interesting, absolutely nothing stood out enough to make me think I'll remember it in an hour.
The 90s were weird.
Happy to desert this crap.
Dull
Nei, gat ekki klárað. Algjört drep.
Couldn't finish. Nothing here for me. Vocals are annoying.
You know how the Arcade Fire sucks real bad???? Well this is the Arcades Fire Original Gangsta group and they suck as well but with a mix of Republika. Nothing special about the album very monotonus until the last song but as the song Godess says I know it aint going to last and I couldnt be happier. Slow mellow depressive album not bad really bit not my jam.
somebody kill me!!!! soul crushingly lame I'm sure this was a thrilling release for people working at advertising firms!!!
This was incredibly boring. Just strings and synths behind someone who listened to far too much Bob Dylan.
This sounds like the flaming shit's horrible work and for that reason it will get the same score as them.
Tim Burton ass soundtrack
Leave it to critics to choose hot garbage made by absolute nobodys. A lot of the songs sound like they're made for kids? I just have no idea what I was supposed to feel listening to that. Uncomfortable. That's how I felt.
listened, did not like
Kacke
Not my cup of tea, don’t really know what I can describe them. They went really abstract on some of their songs which I really don’t like
Meh.
Tja, hier krijg ik dus echt een slappe van, hè?
Vokalen va ganske irriterande, og musikken va for disneyete
Jonathan Donahue, frontman of Mercury Rev is quoted as saying "The world wasn't exactly waiting for another Mercury Rev record." Well, there was probably a reason for that.
Pretentious and whiny
No thanks
„The world wasn't exactly waiting for another Mercury Rev record“ sagte der gesanglich leidlich talentierte Frontman, dessentwegen ich das Album vorzeitig ausmachen musste, über dieses Album und trifft damit den Nagel auf den Kopf. Wer vom NME ausgerechnet DAS für das Album des Jahres gehalten hat, stellt damit seine Tontaubheit unter Beweis.
Eh. It's indie music and not good. I was happy when it was over. Better than a one, not really a two. I will round down
I skipped through the first three songs before throwing in the towel. Life's too short to listen to this album.
Awful
This didn't do much for me. It's pleasant music and all, but just wasn't the right mood for me today. And what's with the saws?
Not my type of music. Two songs stuck out to me, and I might revisit them. The rest didn’t work for me.
I thought this one was kind of dookie. The only song I thought was decent was Funny Bird. Was really rough listening to this, it felt like i was stuck in the back rooms and this was playing eternally and my ears where just becoming more def. (I’m sorry, meant no offense, just not my cup of tea) are these reviews public? Or just for our group? The world will never know.
Two thumbs way down. Not a fan.
Not my style. There were a couple beats I enjoyed in a couple songs, but overall I just didn't enjoy this one.
I get the relationship of this band and its era, but it wasn't great enough to be included in this list.
It's a lovely story that Mercury Rev were three albums in and not finding the success they hoped for before recording "Deserter's Songs" as a "let's-go-out-on-our-own-terms" moment. They were ready to give their dreams up, and then "Deserter's Songs" was a surprise hit and it kept them going. The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, who's band was recording in the same studio at the same time, said that "Their audience had gone away, and all they could do was make the music that was in their dreams." I'm glad they got to continue bringing their dreams to life, but some of their dreams are my nightmares. Was there a singing saw used in multiple songs? Why!?
I am rarely (never?) tempted to go track by track in a review. But this album has so many different reasons to hate it, it's impressive so let's take this journey shall we? Holes - The beginning screams Coldplay but like a crappier version of Coldplay...oh wait, is that a saw? wtf? Tonite It Shows - It sounds like a song from a musical for a character who is like walking alone but then comes to some big realization. It feels very theatrical...but sung by someone who can't quite hit the notes. Endlessly - Is that the saw again? Is that a chorus of people trying to sound like the saw? I Collect Coins - Like an old timey jukebox running out of power and going slowing out of tune Opus 40 - oh! this song doesn't suck...wait, why are they dragging out the end so much? stop ruining this! Hudson Line - dear god the 80s saxophone and just 10 extra seconds of a single high pitch at the end. Why?! The Happy End (The Drunk Room) - Is the drunk room in a creepy funhouse? What is with the weird stop in the middle where I was blissfully relieved it was over, but no! Goddess on a Highway - oh! a second song that doesn't suck, let's try not to ruin this one at the end. The Funny Bird - NOW you are self-conscious about your voice and singing through some voice distortion box? why now? Oh good, let's end this song with a bunch of random noise. Pick Up If You're There - I didn't hate this one even though it was a little like a funeral dirge...until that effing saw sound again, and then for some reason an unintelligible answering machine message. Seriously, now you guys are just fucking with people, laughing at what they will listen to and call it music. Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp - I don't have a huge problem with this song. But it's way too little, way too late....oh wait, 3:50 seconds in it ends and becomes a hidden terrible track that again sounds like the backing to a bad musical that happens in a creepy funhouse. 2.5 not crappy songs are not enough to pull this out of 1 star territory. Also they made me spend all this time listening to the songs again so I could write this review and I am spiteful about that.
Really weird album with the wailing synthed woman voice in a lot of songs. I don’t like this.
Too slow for my taste. Like a slower version of a Coldplay album.
I really didn’t like this. The singing was terrible. I can’t believe this drivel is on this list.
Gave up on this one after 5-6 songs. Another one i can't understand someone saying you must listen to this before you die.
Couldn’t finish it. Was realllllllly boring
Did not enjoy
Almost unlistenable... First song is ok, but it's a downhill slide of meandering random harmonies after that.
not really my speed
First album I couldn't finish. A couple songs were okay, but not strong enough to redeem the album. It feels like TV music
Sé qué es un clásico y la madre pero a mí me dejo casi todo muy indeferente. Me gustaron 4 canciones.
A struggle. Like a poor man’s Flaming Lips
This is a tough album to listen to. I find the vocals almost unbearable to enjoy, that being said musically some of the songs arrangements sound fantastic. A couple songs belong in the background of a Zelda game and others, an 80s adult film (Hudson Line). I’ll likely never listen to this album again unless it’s playing in the next shop I have to buy a new tunic from in Zelda.
Album starts as a unique indie song that is good. Everything after that is nothing special and a bit too indie for my taste. Overall not really pleased. 2.9/10
God awful. Can sort of see what they were trying achieve, I think. Picked up a bit midway through, but really overall just not interested in this. Not for me. 1/5
Good dream pop, but nothing really special. Nice fundation to the genre
Crap
Poor Mans Dark Side Of The Moon. Was stoned and had to turn it off due to it annoying the ever living shit out of me. The screeching and horrible attempt at "Alien" sound or whatever you call it was an unwelcome experience. Would not recommend.If i could give 0 stars I would
1 2 3 I don't could listen to this album. I got really bored.
too indie, not enough rock, didn't like it.