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May 25, 2005
mercury rev :: the secret migration
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Last Friday, I saw Mercury Rev open for the Doves at the local mega-club. Aesthetic dissonance ensued, of a kind that's particular to rock music. With eyes closed, I heard a psychedelic rock show with big sound and rich ideas. With eyes open, I saw a group of overdressed photo-op subjects fronted by an open-throated and open-cuffed singer who spent the better part of the gig "prancing about like a bell end", to steal a phrase from the official brother (and New York City advance tour scout) of Borrowed Tunes.
Funny thing is, I've always felt this kind of ambivalence towards Mercury Rev. I barely recall seeing them once way back in the early 90s and being vaguely annoyed. I own all of their records except for the first, which I knew and played to death as a college radio DJ. Their songs are often gorgeous and cinematic, but in the end too many of them are beautiful soundtracks in search of movies with a core. It's impossible to explain. It's not that they wear themselves out - I'm glad to hear this disc a 4th and 5th time. You simply don't know whether to trust them.
The closest they have come to making a record with a bit more intrigue and interest was their last release, 2001's All is Dream. It was slightly ragged and seemed to signal a kind of retreat into a more spontaneous, inviting creativity, away from their elaborately constructed works of previous years.
But The Secret Migration returns to the studied and shined approach that yields fewer rewards. It's still very good; there's a bit more punch and precision to the songs than we've recently heard. But an icy sheen covers it all, an arm's length distance, a rock star's aloofness that keeps this band from the head of the class. And, if you ever see them, you might want to close your eyes.
The reviews are all over the place on this one. It was Uncut's five-star Album of the Month in January 2005 (it was released early in the UK), while Slant Magazine (new to me) says:
Where once Mercury Rev painted their musical canvasses with big, blurry dollops of sound, the band now colors within the lines, all edges shaved off in favor of a sound that can only be described as "pleasant" . . .
Make no mistake: there is a lot to like on The Secret Migration, and those who are less familiar with the Rev might carry less baggage. "In the Wilderness" is as good as they've ever sounded. Have a listen for yourself.
In the Wilderness (mp3)
Black Forest (Lorelei) (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at May 25, 2005 10:49 PM
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Comments
Did you mean to say : "With eyes OPEN, I saw a group of overdressed photo-op subjects...."?
Saddam is a bell-end. Sort him out.
Posted by: Denis at May 26, 2005 10:30 AM
I did mean "open". Corrected!
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