Deserter’s Songs

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

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.

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

Not quite for me, the orchestration is a little strange even though I do usually like strange instrumentation and baroque rock, but I did like the vocals and tone of the album as a whole. technically competent oddball psychedelia. fun amount of theremin. reminded me somewhat of Ween, Daniel Johnson, and Flaming Lips, the latter of which I see they're associated with.

This did not have a promising start, but I thought it got better as it went along and had a good bit of variety as well.

2.5/5.0 Mixed

i cant even describe how much i hated this

'Oh, the two white lines / Distant gods & faded signs.' In my book, if it ain't easy to tell if something is pretentious, it's more than likely not. There's a chance it's just surprisingly beautiful & touching. This is to say that I think The Flaming Lips are pretentious but Mercury Rev, the Buffalo outfit closely related to that Oakland band, are not. 'The way it changed, into a strange / Cole Porter phrase.' Art rock, art pop, art's not a problem if it's done well & truly. Deserter's Songs is not a perfect record - the vagaries aren't always bountiful & the ghostly themes are silly - but the big tracks ('Holes,' 'Opus 40,' 'Goddess on a Hiway') are fantastic & the overall affect of the album is one that takes me somewhere. When consuming art, I go for that, ya dig?

Always like this one. The slightly weird Disney movie soundtrack vibes do get distracting sometimes.

Jonathan Donahue left Flaming Lips to make music that sounds quite a lot like the Flaming Lips.
He’s quite good at it too.

A solid indie rock record that sounds of the time and scene in which it was created. The Flaming Lips connection was both apparent and welcome.

Some interesting moments, some annoying moments. Overall not an album that really piqued my interest, but not a bad listen.

I had heard Boces and Yerself is Steam before this was released but they didn’t stick. This on the other hand was great. Listened a lot after it was released but not much since. Glad to hear it again.

Don't let the incredible opener fool you this album is just okay

Fun and different. I would seek it out again.

What a beautiful lush album, sonically so nice to listen to but also emotional and well written lyrically. Will be coming back to this one.

(It's like death cab for cutie by way of the flaming lips)

This is not bad it's just not interesting. I saw someone else say it's the poor cousin of The Flaming Lips and that feels about right.

Didn't like it

This is a great album. The parallels to the Flaming Lips are obvious and understandable. Essentially a softer Soft Bulletin. Favorite songs were Holes, Opus 40, Goddess On A Hiway, and Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp.

ou, esse eh bão hein!!!
dá pra notar uma pegada meio flaming lips, mas fazendo algo bem original, né. vários instrumentos, muita maluquice.
a guitarra em a funny bird eh pedrada demais

Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev was a really enjoyable listen. Their sound is incredibly dreamy and whimsical, built around beautiful melodies and rich arrangements that make the album feel very different from most other bands and genres. At times it almost feels more like a film soundtrack than a traditional rock album.

There’s a warmth and atmosphere running throughout the record that makes it very easy to sink into. The orchestration and production are excellent, and while the album can drift a little in places, it never loses its charm. Songs like “Holes”, “Opus 40” and especially “Goddess on a Hiway” really stood out and gave the album some genuinely memorable moments.

Overall, this is an album I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to and one that creates a really unique mood from start to finish.

Favourite tracks: “Goddess on a Hiway” is a superb song. “Holes” and “Opus 40” were also highlights
Least favourite tracks: “Endlessly” felt a little too much like a Christmas carol for me — it gave off strong “Silent Night” vibes
Album artwork: Dark album cover, but I really like it