Deserter's Songs

I would've put money on having had this album already from the cover. Always nice to hear a band you heard about long ago but never listened and to find that you didn't miss anything. Fine at best, annoying at worst.

So easy to forget

ahh, i've heard this before (?) very muzikinis teatras bit odd (positive) i think it's good but unfortunately a little boring bit macabre (very good) closer, unfortunately, is pretty annoying

This isn’t my style of music unfortunately. I think I could’ve gone without hearing Mercury Rev ever.

10/17 Pretty good

Not listened to this band before and has a flaming lips feel to it but more far more interesting

A sublime album that should be on any top 100 or top 50 of the 1990s; majestic, wistful, poetic and mysterious

Haven't heard this in 30 years, and it brought back memories from a past life. I don't recall why I liked it before, but I was just getting into Pink Floyd and altered states so the oddness fit. Love the string and ambient arrangements on this, and the production was superb. The songs are out there for sure so they don't all resonate. I hear bits of this in Psychic TV and Flaming lips, though I think PTV influenced MR, predating Deserters songs by 10y or so.

I have a couple of questions. Why do so many mid artists issue "remastered" albums? Why are those remastered albums universally longer than the original? Let's throw in, why am I hearing this album? There is absolutely nothing noteworthy about it.

A very cool album!! I didn’t go in expecting much but it ended up being a really cool 45 minutes. The sound varied throughout but was such a cohesive, interesting effort. 4/5 ⭐️ 284/1081

So dope. Bird song was fire

Fun record.

The album opened and I really thought I was listening to the Flaming Lips. I mean, his voice and the style seemed like it very much. Since I like the Flaming Lips, this one seemed pretty easy to like. Standouts: Goddess On a Highway, Hole

Another album that was perfectly fine, but has no business being on this list.

proto flaming lips and a little beach house here and there

The Thieving Lips. 2/5

Weird mix of indie and glam rock, which doesn't sound like it should work but it does? It was strange in a good way, but it's hard to articulate my thoughts. I'll have to come back to this one.

Yeah, this one just sucked. There’s so little of interest here. The sound is too light and weak.

Terrible. DNF

Really liked it

die machen quatsch

This was a bit of a weird one. I found the singer's voice a little high for my liking. The instrumentals were interesting at times - there were moments were little sounds in the background drew me in cause they sounded familiar. With that being said, this was an okay album to have on in the background, but it wasn't my thing.

My of my all time favourites. It is not an easy listen, though. One has to really listen to it to enjoy it. Not something for the background, but a careful dedicated listening is highly rewarding

I liked the first song, it was like a more orchestral version of Slowdive (which should really be on this list instead of this album). But after that song, I noticed that the vocals weren't all that great, and they were using very elementary rhymes which also took me out. Then there were songs where they were just messing around, and by that point, I was just done with the album. There are some good moments, and interesting ideas, but overall this album is just okay. This is also my 1,000th album, so I glad it was such an exciting and memorable album /s Mid 3.

Unique, but not something I see myself going back to.

Like two songs stood out but I guess I don’t get the rest of it? Not boring or offensive, I just don’t know enough about the background or influence.

I like their sound. It's like an early version of 2010's indie. The lead singers voice is a little annoying but that's also part of the charm. 3.5 for me, but I will probably round down.

i felt like a jellyfish while listening to this

I can't believe this is NME's 1998 album of the year, look at the great ones on their list they put this one above.

Whimsical and weird, like a fever dream of sorts

On the whole the album was fine, but even after listening to it, there wasn't a single song that I found memorable. None of the music really bothered me either, so for me it was a so, so album. There were a couple of songs that went on a little long, and what was with the last couple of minutes of, "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp"?

pretty fascinating art rock album, reminds me of a soundtrack to a laika movie

4.3 ich habe vorkurzem eine dieser "radio stations" auf spotify angehört und da war "goddess on a highway" drin, ich hatte davor noch nie von dieser Band gehört, das Lied aber sofort gemocht. bissle komischer zufall, dass das Album mir jetzt hier vorgeschlagen wird. es hatte sehr viele gute lieder, aber auch ein paar langweilige, deshalb bin ich mir nicht sicher ob es eine 4 oder 5 Sterne Bewertung verdient. Nichtsdestotrotz, hat die Band echt potential eine meiner lieblings bands zu werden. was mich aber wundert ist, wie ich noch nie von denen gehört habe

Eh, not great as well

THye type off album I would've gone crazy for as a teen , might have outgrew it , still a very nice album would listen to again

Temu Flaming Lips. Not particularly good or bad.

I don’t care for the singer’s voice. There were some good songs that would have been better if sung by someone else. His voice reminded me of the Flaming Lips but their songs were way less interesting. Another album that does not need to be on this list. 2/5

Interesting, a bit too negative vibes. Worth listening.

Did not know what I expected when I put this on. But it's gloomy and moody, kinda perfect for me right now.

Unique, complex, but also kinda boring.

2.5. Weird mix of things but not all bad.

loved it

Me ha gustado mucho el sonido del grupo, aunque no tanto la voz. Hay varias canciones que me han gustado mucho, y el cierre del álbum me parece súper chulo.

Mercury Rev must have a picture of Robert Dimery shagging a goat or something, makes no sense how else this was deemed an album we must hear before we die

Another case of the first half of an album being really good and the rest is bad Best Song: Holes Rating: 5/10 Stars: 3

Another album and artist where I am going in blind, I have never heard (of) either. Could this be the one, the unsuspected hidden gem that becomes my new favourite? Well, yet again the answer is absolutely not. After finishing a listen, the main word that comes to mind is irritating, especially the final hidden track that seems like incidental music in a comedy crime thriller from the early 90s. Otherwise my observations are that this band has a very extensive Wikipedia article but I have never even heard of these guys, to the extent that I wondered if they were AI-generated or a fictional band from a movie or something at times. They really sound like a Britpop band trying to sound American, like they are playing a part, especially as (to me) they come across as quite amateur at times and the singing style varies a lot, like you often get with a parody: Falsetto singing on Holes, flat singing on Tonite It Shows, and weird electronic vocal fry on The Funny Bird. Maybe this is all a symptom of them making the "record entirely for themselves, ignoring commercial influences". Overall, I really did not enjoy this. However, it would be a great album title for something Tom Waits or Nick Cave would do.

Holes 3.4 Tonite It Shows 3.4 Endlessly 3.1 I Collect Coins 3 Opus 40 3.3 Hudson Line 3.3 The Happy End (The Drunk Room) 3 Goddess on a Hiway 3.3 The Funny Bird 3.4 Pick Up If You're There 3.2 Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp / (untitled instrumental) 3.3 Score: 3.245454545

Interesante banda. No me gusta mucho la voz de la cantante, pero el resto bastante bueno. Lindo album. 6/10

Interesting production and sound. The stylistic choices were certaintly a choice. I enjoyed the vocals and I didn't bother with the hidden track of silence.

𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 has the dreamy, slightly blurred atmosphere I often associate with shoegaze, but Mercury Rev take a more orchestral route here. The fragile vocals make an interesting contrast with the grand arrangements, giving even the prettiest moments a slightly uneasy feel. What I like most is that there are good songs beneath all that decoration. The melodies are easy to follow, while the arrangements keep taking little detours that catch my attention. I enjoy the quieter passages just as much as the moments when everything swells. The orchestral touches make the album stranger rather than simply prettier, and that’s a big part of its appeal. There’s plenty to get lost in without losing track of the songs.

I listened to this twice but could not retain anything. No complaints but also nothing special. It was pleasant white noise.

Not deserted enough

I’d rather have some songs from a dessert-er

Som ett äktenskap mellan David Bowie och Michael Stipe hos ett 20+ indiepar, i ett ostädat loft i en rivningshotad brownstone i en småstad i New England. Självklar 5a!

mood

Not my type of rock

Me lembrou um pouco Syd Barrett com Flaming Lips, é o tipo de psicodelia que eu gosto pra ouvir sóbrio, mas imagino que não entre nos 1001 de muita gente. Uma grata surpresa, e com certeza revisitarei mais vezes.

Good easy working music

No fav song

bump 4?

Poeh, dit is dan weer even helemaal niets. Het is een soort folkrock achtig album? In elk geval kom ik er weer eens achter dat folk gewoon niet echt mijn muziek is. Dit album kabbelt ook een beetje voorbij zonder dat het een seconde mn aandacht pakt. De zang is niet zo bijzonder, de productie valt me dan wel nog op omdat daar best wat gebeurt. Misschien is het geen folkrock, maar meer psych pop ofzoiets, omdat er een stuk meer gebeurt instrumentaal dan op een gemiddeld folk albumpje. Richting het einde komt er iets meer tempo in, maar alles bij elkaar is dit een album dat ik eigenlijk al voor het laatste nummer ben vergeten. 1001 albums die je MOET horen voor je doodgaat? Het zal wel, dit kon me echt totaaaaal niet boeien. FAVO: Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp

An album that feels like mid 2000s indie, but is actually from '98. Must've been very early with that sound. Turns out I had 'Goddess On A Hiway' on my Spotify. But that was also the only song that I really enjoyed, and coincidentally it also differentiated itself the most from the rest of the songs. My main impression from this album was mostly that the singer was annoying to listen to, and the music felt quite pretentious and meek. Nothing I'll return to, weak 3.

This album mostly passed me by. It sounded like your typical 00s indie album, so it surprised me it was realeased in the 90s. Was pretty set on a 2 star but ”Goddess On a Hiway” is a song i recognised and is actually quite good. Going for a weak 3.

I had no idea what to expect when listening to this. It sounds like something your weird friend shows you to try and be friends and it works somehow. The vocal effects get a little odd for me sometimes, so I'm not the biggest fan of that. But the instrumentals are actually really quite nice. I don't even mind how long they last, ignoring how they're tracked. Actually, in general the vocal quality isn't great, but for most songs it actually feels like a good thing (not always though). All in all, though, I did like it. Favorite Song(s): Hudson Line

Låter som filmmusiken till en Tum Burton-film. Lite Danny Elfman-aktigt. Delvis rätt behagligt men det finns inga låtar som riktigt höjer sig över ok.

*1998. *First song sounds like modern day indie, like the guilty pleasure kind. I like it for background music. *There are also so totally random ethereal or spacey background sounds mixed in? It feels like we're going for Bowie, but only Bowie can get away with that. *Alright, I've made it to the 3rd song and I'm over it. *I would not have guessed 1998 for this album - it sounds old. *Now we're on Track 5 and I'm into it again. *I'm confused, but I think I like this overall. *Rounded up from 3.5 to 4. RATING - 7/10

VIBES. Ti stous kore ydro happened there

Starts out pretty rough. I do not like his voice. It’s goofy, much like a lot of the arrangements. I liked it more as I got through it, although the hidden track put me back at square one. Rating: 3/10 Favorite Song: Goddess on a Hiway

Habilt men inget som riktigt fångade mig

Härligt sound och någon som jag inte hade hört förut!

Behagligt lugnt.

This is almost, so close to a 5 star album, I feel. I don't judge it as harshly as some for its mood and musical shift after the first 3 songs, but I do think that they should have balanced out the beginning and end of the record more, putting the musical sections at the end more towards the 2/3rd mark and ended on something more akin to the beginning. That being said, it's still 4.5 for me, so I'm round up to 5 for this scale. It's just so beautiful, especially those first few songs, but I also do like the other songs on it, even if the overall album suffers a bit due to the pacing and lack of balance.

The first track was awesome and I was pretty excited to listen to the rest of the album - unfortunately, it was pretty irritating and silly-sounding.

I found this quite tedious to get through.

A mediocre indie album

Average forgetful stuff really. Didn't mind it, didn't like it. 3 stars.

Lousy. So bland.

Has a Flaming Lips sound to it. Pretty decent album.

Never heard of this band, so sat down to listen whilst eating scrambled eggs, I thought very “Flaming lips”, who I saw live this year, loved the album, looked them up afterwards on wicki, and the Flaming lips connection🙌 Played the album again, “Delta Sun bottleneck stomp” 😵‍💫

For me it didn't really hit. It was kind of boring

Definitely some Flaming Lips vibes going on here. I thought this was a really pretty and thoughtful album and it had a nice feeling of lightness. Could be a 4 with further listens.

Meh

Not quite my cup of tea. A bit creepy in places, and they should have had a better singer.

This album is interesting, it reminded me of Arcade Fire in the beginning, but it later showed a much more jazzy, experimental feel to it, very middle western american. I read that the band was influenced by punk, which i can see a little bit in the sound, also the composing is good and the horns/strings, with good variety in the sound choices, moments and intermissions.

A solid indie rock record that sounds of the time and scene in which it was created. Other reviewers compared to The Flaming Lips and Phish. Wish it was more Phish. 2.5⭐️

Ras

Recht melodisch, aber nicht unbedingt mein Geschmack!

Den Namen hat man schon ein paar Mal gelesen, aber ich hatte nie den Hauch einer Ahnung, wie die Band tatsächlich klingt. Die Antwort: ziemlich ähnlich wie die Flaming Lips, aber da scheint's ja auch einige personelle Überschneidungen gegeben zu haben. Mir wäre es lieber gewesen, wenn die Chamber-Pop-Elemente stärker runter und die psychedelische Komponente stärker hochgefahren worden wäre. Gerade dass der Closer da einfach mittendrin ausfadet, wenn der Song gerade erst richtig loslegt, das ist schon ne Frechheit. Abgesehen davon ist hier aber viel Spannendes versteckt, einiges hat mich auch Spiritualized erinnert. Ist bestimmt eine Platte, die noch wachsen kann. Nur diese nervigen Interludes, die werden ganz bestimmt nicht wachsen. Wenn man sich die wegdenkt, dann kann man hier noch auf gute 4 Sterne kommen.

Der Inbegriff der 3 Sterne.

Bisschen zu spacey und experimentell an einzelnen Stellen, um mehr zu geben. Aber das ist ja auch schon ganz ordentlich und hat mir auch gut gefallen.

Habe noch nie von dieser Band gehört, aber liebe erstens die Entstehungsgeschichte laut Wikipedia laut der die meisten original Mitglieder die Band zu dem Zeitpunkt verlassen hatten, die Band Achtungserfolge hatte aber das letzte Album gar nicht ankam und sie dann beschlossen ein letztes Album zu machen, welches nur für die Band sein soll und Zack, es wird das erfolgreichste und die Band besteht wohl bis heute. Liebe solche Geschichten. Achja die Musik ist dann ganz nebenbei auch noch hervorragend, vorallem der Opener und die ganze erste Hälfte. Wow. Ich werde dem Album definitiv noch weitere Durchläufe widmen und hab richtig Lust mich weiter in dieses Album reinzuarbeiten.

album #123 i had never heard of Mercury Rev until this album cropped up on the list. i had high hopes after the delightful opening song "Holes" which i absolutely adored! unfortunately, they could not maintain that momentum throughout the album. the first 5 songs are peculiar, dreamlike songs with beautiful instrumentals. the latter half of the album unfortunately ends up feeling a bit bloated and/or repetitive in a way that isn't fun. the experimentation is impressive! i could see bands like M83 taking inspiration from holes, in particular. ಄ average track rating: 2.7/5 ಄ favourite track(s): holes (4.5), opus 40 (3.5) ಄ least favourite track(s): hudson line ಄ album rating: ★★★☆☆ ಄ number of albums left to review: 966 ಄ number of albums i agree with being on the list: 55 ಄ albums from the list that i would consider for my list: 24 ಄ albums i would not include on my list: 99

Que album surreal de bom e surreal de lindo!!

A pleasant album but always thought they were a bit wet. The singer has quite a weak voice and a lot of this album just quietly sits in the background rather than shouting for your attention. Some great Melodies in places and Goddess on a Hiway is a great tune.

I had such a rude awakening and bad morning. Starting this album felt like letting go in the best kind of way. Sort of flaming lips, sort of Harry Nilsson, Overall a cool record. Chance to be a classic for me one day

⭐⭐⭐ Indierock. Lite ojämnt men i stort sett bra. Gillade att lyssna på det hör albumet, tycker det.är en stark 3a. Bäst är Holes, Tonight in shows, Godass on a hiway

Interesting. Needs another listen

This is some really cool stuff. Experimental music done right, for sure. I would absolutely believe it came out in the last couple years. And while I do love me some good orchestration, it feels a bit tinny. Maybe it's just me, but it's definitely lacking in bass.

Gives me Tim Burton vibes

The idea of a deserter, someone who abandons, is a really great one to central album like this around. It’s dark, it’s sad, it’s almost derivative but the concept justifies its existence enough to just evade that label. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s easy to love. And unlike a lot of more subpar albums in this same vein, its ambient tracks not only exist as an actual space, but justify their own placement on the album. Each song occupies a feeling of leaving something behind, or being left behind in some way. Either way, no matter how happy the songs sound, they all carry a sense of isolation brought on by this aesthetic of desertion, and they really consistently capture the feeling of desertion so well. Sometimes it’s happy, as seen in the closer, but more often than not it’s painful, and bittersweet, leaving someone, being left, allowing yourself to be alone for what you know will be a long time. Though I was skeptical at first of single “Holes,” it blew me away with its melancholy drums and atmosphere. It continues to do this, with songs like “G-dess on a Hiway” and the excellent closer. Overall just really excellent record. 9.3/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: NO WHY: NOT RELEVANT ENOUGH WHAT WOULD I PUT HERE INSTEAD: Songs About Leaving by Carissa’s Wierd