Mercury Rev | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Beginning as avant-pop pranksters and evolving into purveyors of rootsy, majestic psych-pop, Mercury Rev arent so much a band as a long, strange trip. The volatility of the bands early days likely added an extra spark to the one-of-a-kind mix of shoegaze, noise pop, psychedelic, and experimental music on 1991s Yerself Is Steam and 1993s Boces, which offered the first hint of just how ambitious their music became later in the decade. As their lineup changed, their musical horizons expanded; on 1995s See You on the Other Side, they added adventurous free jazz excursions and lullaby-like melodies with striking results. Though Mercury Rev won critical acclaim from the beginning, they didnt achieve commercial success until their 1998 breakthrough album, Deserters Songs, which combined intimate songwriting with a fresh take on Americana. As they continued to evolve with 2008s electronic Snowflake Midnight and paid homage to one of the great underappreciated albums with 2019s Bobbie Gentrys The Delta Sweete Revisited, heartfelt emotion and experimentation remained equally vital to Mercury Revs music. Formed out of the experimental art and music scene at the State University of New York at Buffalo in the late 80s, Mercury Rev originally featured vocalist David Baker, vocalist/guitarist Jonathan Donahue, guitarist/clarinetist Grasshopper (born Sean Mackowiak), flutist Suzanne Thorpe, bassist Dave Fridmann, and drummer Jimy Chambers. As a child, Grasshopper studied clarinet and loved jazz artists like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Miles Davis; later, when he began playing guitar, he drew from classic rockers such as Neil Young and the Allman Brothers as well as the Velvet Undergrounds Sterling Morrison and Televisions Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. After playing with the local Buffalo groups the Peoples Front and Sunny in Chernobyl in the early 80s, Grasshopper began playing bass with Shady Crady, an avant-garde band who also included Donahue among their members, while pursuing a BA in the State University of New York at Buffalos Media Studies program. By 1989, Shady Crady had evolved into Mercury Rev (a name whose inspiration was variously attributed to an imaginary Russian ballet dancer, a sharp rise in temperature, or a revved-up auto), with Grasshopper switching to guitar. The bands earliest recordings were improvised soundtracks to TV nature documentaries and student films. Encouraged to further their music by Grasshoppers academic mentor, minimalist composer and multimedia artist Tony Conrad, the group recorded a demo onto a reel of 35mm magnetic film. During this time, Donahue worked as a concert promoter and scheduled a Butthole Surfers gig. After the show, he befriended the support act, Oklahomas like-minded Flaming Lips, and soon joined the tour as a guitar technician. Donahue -- under the alias "Dingus" -- became the Lips lead guitarist, playing on 1990s In a Priest Driven Ambulance, which Fridmann co-produced. Though Mercury Rev effectively was in limbo with members scattered across the country, the bands demo tape made its way to the British offices of Rough Trade Records, which contacted Baker about signing the group. Soon, the band convened to record their debut, Yerself Is Steam, which they recorded at the same time Donahue and Fridmann were also working on the Flaming Lips major-label debut, Hit to Death in the Future Head. After the album was complete, Donahue left the Flaming Lips to concentrate on Mercury Rev. In May 1991, Yerself Is Steam was issued to widespread acclaim for its melodic yet free-form art pop epics. However, within weeks of the LPs release, Rough Trades American branch declared bankruptcy, aborting any hopes of proper distribution or promotion. Nevertheless, the group toured the U.K., something they were unaccustomed to -- their London show was their second performance ever -- and their volatile gigs highlighted the tensions between Baker and the rest of the group. Following the tour, the members of Mercury Rev again went their separate ways, but Sony signed the group and reissued Yerself Is Steam along with an extra track, the sublime single "Car Wash Hair" (recorded with the aid of Lunas Dean Wareham). In 1992, Mint Films and Jungle Records reissued Yerself Is Steam with the bonus disc Lego My Ego, a set featuring live performances as well as a cover of Sly & the Family Stones "If You Want Me to Stay." To craft their second album, Mercury Rev set up studio space in a barn and collected samples from sites as far-ranging as Times Square and NASAs Cape Canaveral to flesh out the musics dense, prismatic sound. However, tensions within the band continued; several pop songs Donahue had written were scrapped in favor of songs that were a better fit for Baker. Named after a New York special education program, Boces arrived in June 1993 and was even more freewheeling than its predecessor. The album reached number 43 on the U.K. Album chart, but wasnt as successful in the States. Mercury Rev played Lollapaloozas second stage but were kicked off the bill during the festivals Denver stop due to excessive noise. Additionally, a video for the single "Something for Joey" was shot with porn star Ron Jeremy, but the clips suggestive space-age sexcapades and visual double entendres made mainstream airplay a moot point. That year, Fridmann stopped touring with the band, and following a fractious U.K. tour supporting Spiritualized, Baker was dismissed from Mercury Revs ranks. Under the name Shady, Baker issued 1994s World, which he recorded with luminaries from the Boo Radleys, Rollerskate Skinny, and St. Johnny. Minus their former lead singer, Mercury Rev continued to evolve. In 1994, Grasshopper developed the Tettix Wave Accumulator, a homemade tone generator made of oscillators, filters, and wave shape manipulators that the band used on that years Everlasting Arm single and their third album. Released in September 1995, See You on the Other Side incorporated influences from jazz and show tunes as well as psych-rock on songs that boasted more melody and newfound emotional depth. That October, the band also issued Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void, a largely improvised 40-minute set, as Harmony Rockets. However, the lack of label support for See You on the Other Side, financial and substance abuse issues, and personal losses took a toll on Mercury Rev. Chambers departed the band, who asked to be dropped from Sony. Grasshopper spent six months in a Jesuit monastery in Spain, then recorded the solo album Orbit of Eternal Grace, which arrived on Beggars Banquet in 1998. He reconnected with Donahue, who had suffered a nervous breakdown, and the pair released a cover of the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory song "Ive Got a Golden Ticket" as Harmony Rockets in 1997. Mercury Rev also resurfaced in 1997, first appearing on the Chemical Brothers Dig Your Own Hole, then starting work on their fourth album. To focus on their music, Donahue and Grasshopper relocated to the Catskills, where they wrote songs inspired by their new home base and their favorite childrens music, and returned to songs written during the bands infancy. Working at Tarbox Road studio with Fridmann -- who was also recording the Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin at the time -- Mercury Rev were joined by the Bands Levon Helm and Garth Hudson as they replaced the feedback and distortion of their previous music with strings, horns, and woodwinds. While they were recording, Mercury Rev signed to V2 Records, who released Deserters Songs in September 1998. For the first time, the band matched their sizeable critical acclaim with commercial success: The album was a hit in Europe and the U.K., where it was certified gold. For their next album, Mercury Rev were slated to work with Jack Nitzsche -- famous for his arrangements on many classics of the Phil Spector canon -- until Nitzsche passed away a week before recording began. Expanding on the dramatic blueprint of Deserters Songs and featuring string arrangements by Tony Visconti, All Is Dream appeared in September 2001. Like its predecessor, it was certified gold in the U.K., and the single "The Dark Is Rising" hit number 16 on the U.K. Singles Chart. The band continued to follow its bliss as the 2000s unfolded. The Secret Migration, a collection of sentimental love songs, reached number 16 on the U.K. Albums Chart when it was released in January 2005. Late 2006/early 2007 was a busy time for the band, with the arrival of the best-of Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006, the soundtrack Hello Blackbird, and the mix album Back to Mine all arriving at that time. Mercury Rev moved to Yep Roc for 2008s delicate, largely electronic Snowflake Midnight, which reached number 52 on the U.K. Albums Chart when it arrived that September. The band also released a companion album, Strange Attractor, as a free online download. The following year, Mercury Rev contributed a cover of Miracle Legions "Sailors and Animals" to Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, a benefit album to help Mulcahy continue to make music and raise his family after the sudden death of his wife Melissa in 2008. Mercury Rev spent the 2010s celebrating their past successes and moving forward. In 2011, a deluxe edition of Deserters Songs that included rare demos and remixes arrived. The following year, Grasshopper and Donahue resurrected Harmony Rockets for tours of Europe and the United States that resulted in a pair of digital albums, The Crawling Journey of the Serpents Starry Night and Angels Are Spirits, Flames of Fire. Mercury Revs projects were just as experimental and included performances of Mercury Revs Cinematic Sound Tettix BrainWave Concerto Experiment at John Zorns New York City venue The Stone. The band returned with new music in the form of their October 2015 Bella Union debut The Light in You, a collection of songs Donahue and Grasshopper largely recorded at their Catskills home base with bassist Anthony Molina and engineer Scott Petito. That year, the band also began its next project, a track-by-track re-creation of Bobbie Gentrys 1968 cult classic album The Delta Sweete. Featuring a roster of female singers that included Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Phoebe Bridgers, and Vashti Bunyan, Bobbie Gentrys The Delta Sweete Revisited arrived in February 2019. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 18 Title: Yerself Is Steam Released: 1991 Tracks: 99 Duration: 57:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Chasing a Bee (07:09) 2 Syringe Mouth (04:04) 3 Coney Island Cyclone (02:37) 4 Blue and Black (06:00) 5 Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t th Center of Yer Heart (07:48) 6 Frittering (08:48) 7 Continuous Trucks and Thunder Under a Mother’s Smile (00:43) 8 Very Sleepy Rivers (07:15) 9 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 10 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 11 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 12 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 13 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 14 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 15 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 16 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 17 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 18 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 19 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 20 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 21 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 22 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 23 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 24 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 25 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 26 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 27 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 28 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 29 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 30 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 31 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 32 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 33 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 34 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 35 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 36 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 37 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 38 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 39 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 40 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 41 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 42 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 43 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 44 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 45 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 46 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 47 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 48 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 49 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 50 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 51 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 52 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 53 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 54 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 55 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 56 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 57 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 58 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 59 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 60 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 61 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 62 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 63 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 64 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 65 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 66 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 67 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 68 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 69 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 70 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 71 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 72 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 73 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 74 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 75 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 76 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 77 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 78 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 79 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 80 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 81 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 82 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 83 Very Sleepy Rivers (continued) (00:04) 84 [silence] (00:05) 85 [silence] (00:05) 86 [silence] (00:05) 87 [silence] (00:05) 88 [silence] (00:05) 89 [silence] (00:05) 90 [silence] (00:05) 91 [silence] (00:05) 92 [silence] (00:05) 93 [silence] (00:05) 94 [silence] (00:05) 95 [silence] (00:05) 96 [silence] (00:05) 97 [silence] (00:05) 98 [silence] (00:05) 99 Car Wash Hair (06:45) |
| Yerself Is Steam : Allmusic album Review : Music dictated not by logic but by intuition, Yerself Is Steam is an album at war with itself, split by its desire to achieve both melodic pop bliss and white-noise transcendence within the same space; it succeeds brilliantly, avant-bubblegum fuel injected by fits and flourishes of prismatic chaos. From the comic malevolence of David Bakers mad-scientist creations to Jonathan Donahues opiate lullabies, Yerself Is Steam is vividly cinematic -- between the roller coaster feedback of "Coney Island Cyclone" and the narcoleptic ebb and flow of the climactic "Very Sleepy Rivers," the songs perfectly evoke their titular aspirations; likewise, from the album title (say it out loud) onward, the lyrics revel in the quirks and idiosyncrasies of language, buoyed by a homophonous prankishness and dada rhyme schemes, which, in their own odd way, suggest a kind of poetry. A near-perfect debut from a band that would only get better from here on out. [The American edition appends the superb single "Car Wash Hair," while some foreign releases include the bonus disc Lego My Ego, a crazy quilt knitted together from unlikely covers (Sly Stones "If You Want Me to Stay," Miles Davis "Shhh/Peaceful"), Peel Sessions highlights, and wonderfully loopy studio chatter.] | ||
 | Album: 2 of 18 Title: Chasing a Bee Released: 1992 Tracks: 3 Duration: 28:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Chasing a Bee (07:11) 2 If You Want Me to Stay (03:37) 3 Peel Sessions: a. Coney Island Cyclone / b. Frittering / c. Syringe Mouth / d. Chasing a Girl (Inside a Car) (17:52) |
 | Album: 3 of 18 Title: Boces Released: 1993-06-01 Tracks: 10 Duration: 53:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Meth of a Rockette’s Kick (10:29) 2 Trickle Down (05:04) 3 Bronx Cheer (02:49) 4 Boys Peel Out (04:25) 5 Downs Are Feminine Balloons (06:30) 6 Something for Joey (04:06) 7 Snorry Mouth (10:54) 8 Hi-Speed Boats (04:00) 9 Continuous Drunks and Blunders (00:48) 10 Girlfren (04:41) |
| Boces : Allmusic album Review : With Boces, Mercury Rev took everything that made Yerself Is Steam such an impressive debut and made their second album even more so. Over the course of ten minutes, opening epic "Meth of a Rockettes Kick" moves from dreamy musing to guitar-fueled crests -- and throws in flutes, harps, a brass section, and a choir for good measure -- announcing that the group is at the height of its powers. Thrashy freakouts like "Trickle Down" sound even more explosive and stand in sharper contrast to the Technicolor pop of "Something for Joey" and "Hi Speed Boats," while the sweetly lovelorn "Bronx Cheer" and "Downs Are Feminine Balloons" (key lyric: "If theres one thing I cant stand, its up") reveal the vulnerability beneath the groups jet-powered guitars. But Boces doesnt just perfect the sound Mercury Rev pioneered on Yerself Is Steam, it expands it in predictably unpredictable ways. The Cheshire cat jazz-pop of "Boys Peel Out," the sleepwalking speed metal of "Snorry Mouth," and the spooky, smoky finale "Girlfren," though very different from each other, are equally captivating examples of the bands witty, innovative modus operandi. Mercury Rev never released another album as joyfully, unselfconsciously creative as Boces; after chief weirdo David Baker departed, the band pursued other fascinating directions, but this album remains one of the highest points of its career. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 18 Title: See You on the Other Side Released: 1995-09-19 Tracks: 8 Duration: 39:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Empire State (Son House in Excelsis) (07:29) 2 Young Man’s Stride (02:43) 3 Sudden Ray of Hope (05:18) 4 Everlasting Arm (05:15) 5 Racing the Tide (07:31) 6 Close Encounters of the 3rd Grade (03:03) 7 A Kiss From an Old Flame (A Trip to the Moon) (04:22) 8 Peaceful Night (03:33) |
| See You on the Other Side : Allmusic album Review : After David Baker left the group for weirder pastures, the rest of Mercury Rev returned with See You on the Other Side, an album very much in the groups expansive, experimental tradition, yet distinct from its work with Baker. The sprawling compositions, elaborate arrangements, and jazzy leanings Mercury Rev perfected on Boces return on See You on the Other Side, as exemplified by the opening track, "Empire State (Son House in Excelsis)." But without Bakers merry prankster vocals, the album feels a bit unbalanced, as though the group was still adjusting to making music without him when the album was recorded. The lean, tense "Young Mans Stride" couldve had even more impact had Baker sung it but, for the most part, Jonathan Donahue handles all the vocal duties ably, swinging the group toward its gently whimsical side in the process. The brilliant single "Everlasting Arm" sweetly deconstructs Pet Sounds-style pop years before that became one of indie rocks dominant styles, while "A Kiss From an Old Flame (A Trip to the Moon)" lives up to its title with giddy, swirling flutes and otherworldly backing vocals. Dreamy, yearning songs like "Sudden Ray of Hope" and "Racing the Tide" revel in the unabashed prettiness that Mercury Rev used to hide under layers of freaked-out guitars, and "Peaceful Night," the groups quirky take on Tin Pan Alley songwriting, proves that they werent getting less inventive as time went on, they were just getting subtler about it. See You on the Other Sides relatively short length adds to its rather unfair middle-child status, but it pointed the way toward Mercury Revs breakthrough with Deserters Songs, and is a completely charming -- if underrated -- album in its own right. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 18 Title: Deserter’s Songs Released: 1998-09-19 Tracks: 11 Duration: 44:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Holes (05:56) 2 Tonite It Shows (03:40) 3 Endlessly (04:25) 4 I Collect Coins (01:27) 5 Opus 40 (05:10) 6 Hudson Line (02:54) 7 The Happy End (The Drunk Room) (02:06) 8 Goddess on a Hiway (03:45) 9 The Funny Bird (05:49) 10 Pick Up If You’re There (03:05) 11 Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp (06:19) |
| Deserter’s Songs : Allmusic album Review : Four albums in and Mercury Rev remain as surprising and daring as ever -- exchanging the volcanic noise and twisted sensibilities of earlier releases for ornate arrangements and ethereal strings, Deserters Songs unlocks the beauty always hidden just below the bands surface, its lush harmonics and soothing textures bathing in an almost unearthly light. Standouts including the exquisitely waltz-like "Tonite It Shows" and the celestial "Endlessly" are like lullabies, their music-box melodies gentle and narcotic; even the most pop-oriented moments like "Opus 40" and "Hudson Line" share a symphonic, candy-colored majesty far removed from conventional rock idioms. Complete with its fractured instrumental interludes and odd effects, Deserters Songs sounds like no other album -- for that matter, it doesnt even sound like Mercury Rev, yet theres no mistaking the records brilliance for anyone else. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 18 Title: Opus 40 Released: 1999 Tracks: 7 Duration: 29:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Opus 40 (edit) (03:36) 2 He Was a Friend of Mine (03:36) 3 Motion Pictures (03:27) 4 Silver Street (04:40) 5 Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (02:01) 6 Tonite It Shows (05:16) 7 Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp (Chemical Brothers remix) (06:22) |
 | Album: 7 of 18 Title: Holes Released: 1999-07-07 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Holes (edit) (04:10) 2 Car Wash Hair (live) (07:55) 3 I Dreamt (01:30) 4 Caroline Says, Part II (live) (03:33) |
 | Album: 8 of 18 Title: All Is Dream Released: 2001-08-27 Tracks: 10 Duration: 49:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Dark Is Rising (04:52) 2 Tides of the Moon (05:12) 3 Chains (04:22) 4 Lincoln’s Eyes (07:09) 5 Nite and Fog (03:58) 6 Little Rhymes (05:13) 7 A Drop in Time (04:20) 8 You’re My Queen (02:33) 9 Spiders and Flies (04:11) 10 Hercules (07:52) |
| All Is Dream : Allmusic album Review : Moody, majestic, and unpredictable, All Is Dream plays like Deserters Songs evil twin, polarizing that albums gently trippy, symphonic pop into paranoid and exuberant extremes that range from the eerie lullaby "Lincolns Eyes" to the giddy show-tune-in-search-of-a-musical "A Drop in Time." Starting with the symphonic grandeur of "The Dark Is Rising," the albums ambitious, self-indulgent vibe recalls 60s and 70s psych and prog rock concept albums as well as the bands own expansive body of work. The first half of All Is Dream journeys through the bands dark side with songs like the brooding "Tides of the Moon," which pits Jonathan Donahues spooked, singsong vocals against appropriately unearthly theremins, glockenspiels, and organs, while the second halfs "Nite and Fog" and "Little Rhymes" sound twice as sunny compared to the preceding weirdness. The contrast between the albums halves is so sharp that it seems designed for vinyl; flipping this record over would be immensely satisfying. Though nothing on All Is Dream is as immediate as Deserters Songs "Goddess on a Hiway" or "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp," this album may be stronger as a whole, moving gracefully from singer/songwriter ballads like the beautiful "Spiders and Flies" to guitar-driven epics like "Youre My Queen" and "Hercules." An unfashionably self-indulgent and earnest album, All Is Dream certainly isnt for everyone, and may not even be for some Mercury Rev fans, but in its own personal, insular way, its another triumph for the band. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 18 Title: The Secret Migration Released: 2005-01-28 Tracks: 13 Duration: 44:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Secret for a Song (04:01) 2 Across Yer Ocean (03:19) 3 Diamonds (03:51) 4 Black Forest (Lorelei) (04:46) 5 Vermillion (04:07) 6 In the Wilderness (02:32) 7 In a Funny Way (04:01) 8 My Love (04:14) 9 Moving On (01:19) 10 The Climbing Rose (03:19) 11 Arise (03:49) 12 First-Time Mother’s Joy (Flying) (03:31) 13 Down Poured the Heavens (01:36) |
| The Secret Migration : Allmusic album Review : Its funny how love can be both incredibly intimate and universal-feeling at the same time. Mercury Rev try to express this paradox on their first album in four years, The Secret Migration, and if any band could capture that dichotomy, its them: on Deserters Songs and All Is Dream, they found a way to blend the epic sound that theyd been known for since the days of Boces and See You on the Other Side with more personal songwriting. Unfortunately, they dont quite achieve this tricky balancing act this time. Jonathan Donahues diary-quality songwriting and Dave Fridmanns glossy, intrusive production work against each other, resulting in a collection of bland songs that feel overdone yet incomplete. Over time, Donahue has gone from being an extremely abstract lyricist to a remarkably literal one; even though Secret Migrations first few songs dress up his sentiments in Renaissance Faire frippery and nature imagery (the meandering "Black Forest (Lorelei)" begins, "If I was a white horse/An offered you a ride/Thru a black forest..."), throughout the album his thoughts about loves healing powers are straightforward, almost to the point of being generic. He tones down the fairy-tale wordplay as the album goes on, but the painfully earnest feeling remains on songs like "My Love" and the self-helpy snippet "Moving On" ("Just move ahead, it wont be long/And itll be brighter"). Donahue and the rest of the band deserve some credit for being so emotionally naked, but the lyrics are so intimate and personal that theyre insular -- in some ways, its easier to connect to words like "Wanna ask but I just stare/Can I run my hands through your car wash hair" than "Down Poured the Heavens" "I praise the god sublime/Who let this fallen angel/I into this world of mine." The problems with the albums lyrics and Donahues squeakier-than-ever vocals are even more glaring because The Secret Migration is so bland musically. The bands sound is as epic and ethereal as ever, but its also surprisingly easy to tune out -- it often feels like an AOR-friendly version of All Is Dream, and the electronic percussion and drum loops on several tracks feel dated and fussy. For a few moments, the album soars: "Across Yer Ocean" and "Vermillion" have enough musical movement that the cringe-worthy words arent as noticeable. The syrupy-sweet "First-Time Mothers Joy (Flying)" takes the opposite approach, with restrained sonics and lyrics that are so unabashedly sentimental that they actually are pretty affecting. "In a Funny Way" is hands-down The Secret Migrations best track, capturing the joy the rest of the album wants to convey with a mildly trippy, sitar- and brass-driven arrangement that nods to Mercury Revs musical past without rehashing it. However, most of the album consists of near-misses like "Arise" and "Climbing Rose," both of which are pretty but just dont have much musical or emotional impact. The Secret Migration is oddly too conventional and too quirky; its another paradox that this album, which in its own way is Mercury Revs happiest album, is also, sadly, the weakest of their career. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 18 Title: The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006 Released: 2006-10-02 Tracks: 32 Duration: 2:29:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Diamonds (03:37) 2 Everlasting Arm (05:12) 3 In a Funny Way (04:01) 4 Goddess on a Hiway (03:45) 5 Chasing a Bee (07:09) 6 The Dark Is Rising (04:48) 7 Black Forest (Lorelei) (04:46) 8 Holes (05:55) 9 Car Wash Hair (04:44) 10 Empire State (Son House in Excelsis) (07:09) 11 Something for Joey (04:06) 12 Frittering (08:44) 13 A Drop in Time (03:47) 14 Opus 40 (05:13) 1 I Dont Wanna Be a Soldier (03:29) 2 I Only Have Eyes for You (04:23) 3 Observatory Crest (04:24) 4 Streets of Laredo (02:42) 5 So There (As Read by Robert Creeley) (05:01) 6 Afraid (03:42) 7 He Was a Friend of Mine (03:36) 8 Delta Sub Bottleneck Stomp (Chemical Bros. remix) (06:23) 9 Its a Mans Mans Mans World (04:05) 10 Clamor (04:08) 11 Seagull (03:09) 12 Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (03:39) 13 Coney Island Cyclone (02:46) 14 Silver Street (04:40) 15 Deadman (As Read by Alan Vega) (09:11) 16 Philadelphia (03:00) 17 Good Times Ahead (03:00) 18 Memory of a Free Festival (05:12) |
 | Album: 11 of 18 Title: Hello Blackbird Released: 2006-10-02 Tracks: 19 Duration: 41:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Blackbirds Call (04:36) 2 Illumination by Streetlamp (00:43) 3 Waltz for Alice (01:42) 4 Trial by Wire (00:57) 5 Daydream for Nina (01:05) 6 Audition Scene Sketch (Simply Because) (00:44) 7 The White Birds (09:45) 8 Josefs Vision (02:11) 9 Eye of the Blackbird (Travelling Music II) (02:26) 10 The Last of the White Birds (March Funebre) (03:18) 11 Cinema Theme (01:20) 12 First Flight of the White Birds (00:41) 13 The Chimpy Waltz (01:35) 14 Dempseys Theme (01:05) 15 Fantasia No1 (01:12) 16 Robert Y Roberto (01:01) 17 Travelling Music (01:05) 18 Departed Angels (04:12) 19 Simply Because (01:32) |
| Hello Blackbird : Allmusic album Review : This soundtrack to the dark and brooding period circus drama Bye Bye Blackbird finds Mercury Rev operating instrumentally. Swirling, atmospheric, and expansive, Hello Blackbird retains much of the groups melodic, psych-pop core, but allows for a great deal more experimentation, resulting in a mesmerizing fusion of ambient electronica, modern classical, and Krautrock-inspired prog rock. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 18 Title: Back to Mine: Mercury Rev Released: 2006-10-16 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:03:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 A New Career in a New Town (02:53) 2 Hotel Borg (02:42) 3 Seasons in the Sun (03:14) 4 When Will You Come Home (05:21) 5 Im a Fool to Want You (03:07) 6 Days of Steam (01:55) 7 Opposite Day (reprise) (00:46) 8 The Grand Tour (clean version) (03:06) 9 If I Were a Little Star (03:24) 10 Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (05:06) 11 Cecilias Lunar Exposé (04:05) 12 Big City (04:32) 13 Dream Baby Dream (06:11) 14 Let Me Get Close to You (02:29) 15 Astral Travelling (05:37) 16 Cast Anchor (04:05) 17 Uncle Bobs Midnight Blues (01:56) 18 When You Wish Upon a Star (03:15) |
 | Album: 13 of 18 Title: Strange Attractor Released: 2008-09-29 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Love Is Pure (06:55) 2 Taken Up Into Clouds, Changed and Rained Down (01:43) 3 Pure Joie De La Solitude (02:51) 4 Persistence and the Apis Mellifera (03:52) 5 Fable of a Silver Moon (01:14) 6 Loop Lisse, Loop (04:27) 7 In My Heart, a Strange Attractor (05:27) 8 Incident on Abeel Street (02:15) 9 Af Den Fader Kommer Den Sol (02:36) 10 Because Because Because (03:26) 11 Nocturne for Norwood (05:39) |
 | Album: 14 of 18 Title: Snowflake Midnight Released: 2008-09-29 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Snowflake in a Hot World (03:58) 2 Butterfly’s Wing (04:06) 3 Senses on Fire (03:31) 4 People Are So Unpredictable (There’s No Bliss Like Home) (06:41) 5 October Sunshine (02:13) 6 Runaway Raindrop (05:56) 7 Dreams of a Young Girl as a Flower (07:55) 8 Faraway From Cars (03:20) 9 A Squirrel and I (Holding On… and Then Letting Go) (03:54) |
| Snowflake Midnight : Allmusic album Review : Mercury Rev are as at one with nature as ever on Snowflake Midnight, an album whose title reflects its delicately frosty electronics and late-night meditations perfectly. Jonathan Donahue is still an unabashed romantic, empathizing with a snowflakes plight on the album opener "Snowflake in a Hot World," finding deeper meaning in its fleeting beauty and individuality. Even though its exclamations ("Youre not the same!") are a little over the top, the wide-eyed lyricism the band attempted on Secret Migration finds more focus and restraint on this song and throughout Snowflake Midnight. Instead of piling on more and more sounds and sentimental lyrics like they did with their previous album, here Mercury Rev simplify and let the music suggest moods, rather than making it too obvious how these songs should make listeners feel. "October Sunshine"s Eno-esque synth washes capture a waning sunbeam so clearly you can almost see the dust particles hovering in it, and though "Senses on Fire" is little more than the title repeated over and over while beats and riffs surge and float, its in-the-moment joy makes it one of Snowflake Midnights brightest highlights. A more minimal Mercury Rev is still pretty widescreen, though: "Butterflys Wing" layers fluttery textures, masses of vocal harmonies, and childrens laughter into something as majestic yet personal as anything on All Is Dream or Deserters Songs. However, there are only a handful of epics on Snowflake Midnight, including the nearly eight-minute "Dream of a Young Girl as a Flower," which moves from dark electronics and to vibrant rock like night into day. While there are few stumbles -- "People Are So Unpredictable (Theres No Bliss Like Home)" gets dangerously close to being overblown, and "Runaway Raindrop"s oddly gurgling bass distracts from the rest of the track -- as a whole, Snowflake Midnight works as a soothing, gently inspiring song cycle, the likes of which Mercury Rev hasnt made since See You on the Other Side. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 18 Title: The Peel Sessions Released: 2009 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:41:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Frittering (04:47) 2 Coney Island Cyclone (02:47) 3 Syringe Mouth (03:16) 4 Chasin a Bee (07:06) 5 Trickledown (06:58) 6 Downs Are Feminine Ballons (06:07) 7 Boys Peel Out (04:18) 8 Everlasting Arm (04:49) 9 I Only Have Eyes for You (04:23) 10 Racing the Tide (05:42) 11 Close Encounters of the 3rd Grade (01:31) 1 I Dont Wanna Be a Soldier Mamma I Dont Wanna Die (03:29) 2 The Funny Bird / Tonite It Shows (09:54) 3 Observatory Crest (04:22) 4 Tides of the Moon (06:29) 5 Little Rhymes (05:25) 6 Spider and Flies (04:09) 7 Planet Caravan (04:52) 8 Gymnopedies 3 (02:19) 9 Hercules (08:24) |
 | Album: 16 of 18 Title: The Light in You Released: 2015-10-02 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:28:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Queen of Swans (04:00) 2 Amelie (03:57) 3 You’ve Gone With So Little for So Long (03:30) 4 Central Park East (06:14) 5 Emotional Free Fall (04:17) 6 Coming Up for Air (03:16) 7 Autumn’s in the Air (04:32) 8 Are You Ready? (03:47) 9 Sunflower (03:28) 10 Moth Light (03:44) 11 Rainy Day Record (03:43) 1 The Queen of Swans (04:00) 2 Amelie (03:57) 3 You’ve Gone With So Little for So Long (03:30) 4 Central Park East (06:14) 5 Emotional Free Fall (04:17) 6 Coming Up for Air (03:16) 7 Autumn’s in the Air (04:32) 8 Are You Ready? (03:47) 9 Sunflower (03:28) 10 Moth Light (03:44) 11 Rainy Day Record (03:43) |
| The Light in You : Allmusic album Review : Through the years, Mercury Revs music has always had a sense of wonder, but it has rarely sounded as purposeful as it does on The Light in You, Jonathan Donahue and Grasshoppers first album since 2008s gently introspective Snowflake Midnight. During the seven years between these albums, the duo experienced some major life changes and challenges, and emerged with some of their most powerful music yet. Though this is the first Mercury Rev album missing longtime collaborator Dave Fridmanns input, The Light in You is just as lavish as their work with him. Donahue and Grasshopper take their cues from late-60s and early-70s orchestral pop as well as their own See You on the Other Side; while more rootsy works like Deserters Songs made their sound and moods more down to earth, their flowing emotions and imagery have always felt more at home in psychedelia. The gorgeously lysergic "Autumns in the Air" captures the seasons bittersweet spirit as it nods to prior greats like "It Was a Very Good Year," "The Windmills of Your Mind," and "MacArthur Park." "Central Park East" channels Jimmy Webb even more intently, as Donahue muses on the stories surrounding him on a walk through the park ("Everywhere you turn/Someones letting go/And someone else is hanging on") while strings, keyboards, and traffic drift past. Though The Light in You isnt strictly a concept album, it covers the full circle of loss, healing, and joy; "The Queen of Swans" begins the album by comparing loves arrivals and departures to a birds migrations. Meanwhile, songs such as "Amelie" flicker like candles between hope and despair, with the contrast between Donahues fragile voice and the vastness of the music sounding especially poignant. But even the albums darkest moments sound like theyve been sprinkled with fairy dust, and the optimism only gets brighter as it unfolds. Not surprisingly, Donahue and Grasshopper find salvation in music itself, whether theyre buying and playing a new LP that makes them fall in love with music all over again on "Rainy Day Record" or dancing to the Rascals and the Pretty Things on "Are You Ready?," which manages to use a childrens choir without sounding corny. Indeed, unabashedly heartfelt songs such as "Moth Light" border on sentimental, but the albums emotional sweep carries listeners over the occasional awkward moment. As The Light in Yous title implies, Mercury Rev are seeking lifes brightest moments, and they find them -- along with some of their most satisfying music in many years. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 18 Title: Istanbul 2011 Released: 2017-03-29 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:09:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Holes (08:45) 2 Tonite It Shows (04:05) 3 Endlessly (04:42) 4 I Collect Coins (01:42) 5 Opus 40 (08:33) 6 Hudson Line (03:02) 7 The Happy End (The Drunk Room) (01:59) 8 Goddess On A Hiway (04:46) 9 The Funny Bird (05:36) 10 Pick Up If Youre There (05:46) 11 Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp (08:40) 12 The Dark Is Rising (11:42) |
 | Album: 18 of 18 Title: Bobbie Gentrys the Delta Sweete Revisited Released: 2019-02-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Okolona River Bottom Band (04:37) 2 Big Boss Man (03:25) 3 Reunion (02:22) 4 Parchman Farm (03:47) 5 Mornin Glory (03:22) 6 Sermon (04:31) 7 Tobacco Road (02:51) 8 Penduli Pendulum (03:11) 9 Jessye Lisabeth (03:04) 10 Refractions (02:28) 11 Courtyard (03:31) 12 Ode to Billie Joe (05:37) |