DESERTER'S SONGS

"Deserter's Songs" is the 4th full-length studio album by US alternative rock act Mercury Rev. The album was released through V2 Records in September 1998. While the first two albums by the band "Yerself Is Steam (1991)" and "Boces (1993)" featured a lot of promise with their psychadelic alternative rock style, Mercury Rev´s third album "See You On The Other Side (1995)" saw the band develop a more melodic and orchestrated sound and that´s also the direction they´ve decided to follow on "Deserter's Songs". There´s a three year gap between "See You On The Other Side (1995)" and Deserter's Songs which (as far as I´ve been able to find out) was because of the relatively lurk warm reception that "See You On The Other Side (1995)" got when it was released. Lead singer/ guitarist Jonathan Donahue alledgedly developed a depression because of it and on top of that it probably took some time to recover from the commercial disappointment.

On "Deserter's Songs" the music is even more melodic and the orchestral parts are much more integrated into the songs than they were on "See You On The Other Side (1995)". You can say that the circle is closed in terms of completing Mercury Rev´s new sound. There´s still a few psychadelic leftovers in the sound which is great for the diversity and even provides the music with a slight progressive touch. Don´t be fooled into believing that this is a paticularly progressive album though. This is basically a melodic alternative rock album with orchestral parts. And a very good one at that I might add. It´s mellow and dreamy pop/rock, perfect as background music to a dream about flying over an imaginary magic land filled with pink elephants and unnaturally happy people, but thankfully there is a slight dark edge and loads of melancholy to be found here too. So it´s a well balanced album in terms of moods and atmospheres.

The musicianship is excellent. The smooth and pleasant vocals from Jonathan Donahue suit the music well. The rhythm section are tight playing (although they are seldom in focus) and it´s hard not to be impressed by all the vintage keyboard sounds, piano, bowed saw and flute that colour the music. The orchestral parts are well arranged too and give the music its unique identity. The well sounding production job contributes greatly to help make the material shine. It´s warm, organic, and pleasant sounding.

One of the greatest assets of "Deserter's Songs" is that it´s an instantly accessible and enjoyable listen. It´s sweet melancholic atmosphere, strong musicianship, and adventurous songwriting are hard not to be impressed by (I love how they incorporate the melody from the Christmas song "Silent Night" into "Endlessly"), and upon conclusion it´s a high quality alternative rock album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.