Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs

I knew Mercury Rev. You, sir, are no Mercury Rev.

What is going on here? Why is this album praised to the ends of the earth? Is it a grand conspiracy? Are people just afraid to disagree with the consensus? Is the world filled with people who just simply have awful taste when it comes to music?

This record isn't terrible. But it's so utterly forgettable in every way that a.) I'm confounded at how it's _still_ lauded as Mercury Rev's "artistic peak" by the masses, and b.) I'm outraged that it's even considered marginally acceptable when compared to Rev's previous three albums: the brilliant debut Yerself is Steam, the good but slight misstep Boces, and finally, the glorious magnum opus, See You on the Other Side. All flawed, but still inspiring, creative, uplifting, and above all, interesting listens. Deserter's Songs is none of these things.

I actually have no idea if Mercury Rev recovered from this dull expose, as I was so disappointed, I lost all interest in what had previously been one of my favorite bands, and haven't heard any of their subsequent material.

Stay away from this album. Far, far away. March 3, 2008

Broadway filtered through a Tettix Wave Accumulator (patent pending)

Pretty much every minute detail that can be said about this album has been previously posted, so I will say this for those already familiar with Mercury Rev but have not heard this album:

Deserter's Songs is what happens when you ask Mercury Rev to compose a soundtrack to a Broadway musical. Its use of a full band and strings, odd studio trickery, bowed saws, and epic and sometimes gratuitous, melodramatic moments create a whimsical, musical journey. From the noirish "Holes" which starts the album to the chipper closer, "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp," you can almost picture the red curtain going down while Mercury Rev waves goodbye on stage.

This sort of sound may or may not appeal to fans of older Mercury Rev. To me, its just another progression in Mercury Rev's ever-changing personnel and it sounds wonderful. For maximum aural satisfaction, however, I suggest listening to this album all the way through, as this is a concept album, and its effect would be greatly undermined by selecting random tracks. October 5, 2007

Masterpiece, with Saw

From the first notes of this record you know that you are listening to something new and unique, to wit, a saw. Who else has put the saw to such exquisite use in popular music? OPUS 40 is a rock sculpture near Woodstock, NY, created by a sole man over a lifetime's work in his backyard. My girlfriend took me to that place ten years ago. How nice to see it remembered here in a song by the same name. That is one of the more traditional songs on this record, but I'm drawn to the odder ones upon repeated listenings. Impossible to categorize, unique, strangely affecting, this is the band's breakout record and masterpiece, although "Secret Migration" comes close. June 18, 2006

An overlooked dream pop classic - this is highly appealing and I think most people will love it!

Mercury Rev is absolutely an overlooked band - like My Morning Jacket, they truly deserve to be big. If you've listened to previous Mercury Rev albums, you'll notice that this is completely different sounding. It's distinctly their style, but they've ventured off into dream pop land. I think singer David Baker's vocals are much more suited to this style of music as he has a very charismatic and dreamy vocal style. It most certainly enhances the music. The musicianship is extremely well done as everything is clear and pretty, well, "dreamy" (along with standard instruments they also use harps, for example). Though not every song is slow and mellow like the first two, they're all still very fun and interesting to listen to. No other band in the world right now sounds like Mercury Rev. The lyrics are also pretty memorable and worthy of close-attention. It's just a very creative and original album. Basically, everything about this album and their other classic "All Is Dream" (though this one not as much) is just fabulous. Most people will love this album! Highly recommended!

Highlights include:
the entire album! January 9, 2006

Give it a chance... or you'll be sorry

The 1st time that I listened to Deserter's Song I thought "What the &*## is this?". My Wife, who I figured would hate it because of the unusual, even shaky, vocals walks in 3 days later and says, "That Mercury Rev albumn is great!". Again I am thinking "What the &*##?". I Gave it another try and fell in love with it. I have been a huge Sparklehorse fan for years and if I had to squeeze Mercury Rev into the same genra.

Deserter's song is very quickly rising to the top of my all time albumns and is definately worth a listen and then another and another and another... April 16, 2005

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