so, now that it's out in the US, what does everyone think?


personally, I like it. a lot. the music is great and it sounds like their many muses are congealing into a singular sound. which can be a good thing, or a bad thing. your mileage may vary.


great album, but not as "strong" as the last 2. there is nothing outright bad on here. but by the same token, there is nothing absolutely stellar. it's all pretty mid-range for them. there's nothing here as bad as the worst moments on Deserter's Songs or All Is Dream, but there is also nothing as good as the soaring heights of those albums either.


anyone else here into this band? anyone else have the album yet?

i have a mercury rev album...i wish i could remember the title (kinda tells you how much i listen to it, huh?)...it got a lot of critical hoopla a few years back, so i got it, thinking it might be like a radiohead or a grandaddy or a flaming lips kinda thing.

i really liked the instrumentation, but i gotta admit it - i can't get past the vocals, which really REALLY get on my nerves.

maybe i just need to listen to it more and get used to how he sings. it sounds kind of affected to me, almost kinda jokey.

Anxiety said:

1991 -- Yerself Is Steam
1993 -- Boces
1995 -- See You On The Other Side
1998 -- Deserter's Songs
2001 -- All Is Dream

those last 2 and the new one are the ones to pay attention to. the first 3 are also critically acclaimed, but very much a different band (literally).

i think All Is Dream is the one you're thinking of. admittedly, Jonathan Donahue's vocals are an acquired taste (he was a Flaming Lip, subsequently, and a former member produces them and the Lips). but when you get into the lyrics and the vibe, you realize it's really perfect for the tone of the music. a friend of mine compares his voice to Billy Corgan, and i can see that. but it's applied in a more child-like wonder sort of way with Mercury Rev.

go pick up Deserter's Songs and start there if you're interested in getting into them. absolutely their best. i think you'd like it.
[Edited 5/19/05 20:52pm]

'all is dream' is the one i have.

and i have the same problem with billy corgan and, to a much lesser extent, wayne coyne. i cannot abide their voices. i think coyne's gotten better, but i can't listen to 'the soft bulletin'. certain kinds of vocals just turn me off, as much as i want to appreciate them.

maybe if i threw my mercury rev CD into my mp3 random mix, i could learn to stomach it.

i need to get the secret migration... i've been slacking.

Anxiety said:

admittedly, the songs themselves, and the instrumentation are what will draw you in. the voice will come later. (hopefully. they're too sublime to pass on because of the voice. as i said, after awhile, you see how the voice fits.)

Did you pick up the real thing yet? I know you've been waiting for months.

i finally got this... so far i'm liking it. need to listen some more though

JonSnow said:

it may be one you have to put away for awhile. at least it was for me. got it back in February and loved it at first, then went sour on it for a couple months, and got it back out last week and i'm loving it again.

GrayKing said:

Seems more like a Spring album anyway.