Product Description

A touching, majestic gem of a record, DESERTER'S SONGS raises the bar not just for Mercury Rev themselves, but orchestrated pop in general. There's a timelessness to both the compositions and the arrangements here. Grand sonic visions are realised with horns, keyboards, strings, even a bowed saw! No matter how big the sound gets, though, it's all carefully controlled, and the cinematic scope enhances the songs, rather than obscuring them. Simple--but never blunt--lyrics benefit from an infectious melodicism that speaks to the pop songcraft skills Mercury Rev has mastered. The sweeping scale of DESERTER'S SONGS never denies the small, intimate pleasures that pop up from song to song, as the band combines psychedelia, '60s pop, Flaming Lips-ish indie rock and a homey folk-rock sound (the Band's Garth Hudson and Levon Helm even appear here) for a masterpiece of epic proportions.

Track Listing

1. Holes
2. Tonite It Shows
3. Endlessly
4. I Collect Coins
5. Opus 40
6. Hudson Line
7. The Happy End (The Drunk Room)
8. Goddess On A Hiway
9. The Funny Bird
10. Pick Up If You're There
11. Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4651 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
That Mercury Rev avoided a messy, chemically-assisted burnout in the middle of the 1990s is remarkable; that they should return in 1998 with an album as fine as Deserter's Songs is almost unfeasible. But working by the old adage that "what does not kill us makes us stronger", Deserter's Songs is an album of unparalleled scope. Drawing on the legacy of America's pioneers and the nascent scenes of folk-rock and psychedelia, Mercury Rev have formed a living, breathing piece of heritage. "Holes" is dizzied in America's vast scope, and warmed by woodwind instruments, mellotrons and a Wurlitzer organ. It sounds like a beautiful climax, but it's only the first song, and there's better to come, what with the weathered "Goddess On A Hiway" and "Opus 40". Deserter's Songs is one of the essential American albums at the end of the 1990s. It's hard to see that they--or anyone--can top it. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

A Perfect Record
It can suit any mood, any time of day, any age group, etc. This really is one of best records of the past 20 years. No doubt about it. There's an almost classic or timeless feel to it. As soon as you hear it you can tell it's quality and in places it's hard to tell when the recording was actually made, which to me is a sign of a great piece of music. Very hard to describe, however, the production on this is stunning.

The reason I'm writing this review? Because I've lost my copy and I'm looking to purchase another one, which must in itself say something.

There's No Running Away From This
Not sure how you explain this CD to people not familiar with Mercury Rev. Brilliant, Innovative, Defined, Inspirational, Refreshing............all would be appropriate adjectives. But that still doesn't get across the true essence of the Band.

My introduction to MR was the track "Holes" which was on a compilation disc given away with a music magazine. It sounded so different and enchanting that I had to explore them more.

When I bought and listened to this CD, I was completely taken aback by the sheer beauty and uniqueness of their approach to writing and producing.

Jonathan Donahue has a voice that often sounds as if he is about to go off key but never does. He keeps an edgy side to his vocals that make you feel both uneasy and consumed at the same time. Quite simply it works so well with the material they write. And what material.

The songs and arrangements on this CD are sumptuous and beauty personified. It really takes you by the hand and leads you to another land........zone even. The unusual instrumentation, at times sounding like ethereal garden saws crying in the wind of some enchanted forest. I told you it wasn't easy to describe.

This is music on a much larger and grander stage. It is almost like a fairy tale melding with high class ballet. Close your eyes and it does far more for the imagination than any mind warping drugs. Absolutely brilliant.

This is the sort of escapism that really makes you forget stress, bad times or sad times. Each track unfolds into something magical. I cannot rate this CD highly enough. This should be in everybody's collection.

How does that ol' song go.....
Arrived hear via The Flaming Lips & now I don't wish to desert this box of delights for some time....maybe it's because i'm working retrospectively ,as many music lovers tend to do & following the theme of finding an artist~song~sound~look~hook that stimulates & I've found Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs has everything I could wish for...I must admit on the first time of playing the album I was dissapointed,I had just been playing The Lips Yoshimi & how do you follow that?...By playing this album over & over . It has certainly broadened my musical taste as Johnathan Donahue is gifted at finding a beautiful line,taking control & expanding it into something wonderful.Deserter's Songs takes you on a musical journey thro' folk pop softrock jazz blues classical to avant garde.If you are reading this then you are interested in Mercury Rev,invest in the album,play it over & over & enjoy it as one of the most beautiful & complete albums ever produced.Tell me what you think about the trax Holes & Endlessly.I believe Deserter's Songs is exceptional ,so much so,I bought it twice.