Mercury Rev
The Secret Migration
Once the Flaming Lips’ even less-disciplined sister band, Mercury Rev has grown into one of the most redoubtable producers of mysterious and beautiful sounds, part rootsy Americana and part dreamy psychedelia. “The Secret Migration” plays down the former element a touch, going instead for a more forceful–yet still surprisingly sentimental–approach, even if Jonathan Donahue’s helium voice always lends the music an otherworldly quality. There’s plenty of room for pop in the group’s epic soundscapes, and “Arise” shows the band is ever comfortable crafting an epic blowout. But Mercury Rev’s music is so full of wonder that something weird and marvelous lies around nearly every musical corner. Plus, the band has rarely sounded as pretty as it does on the piano-draped “First-Time Mother’s Joy (Flying).”
Best track: “Vermillion,” a bittersweet dance song with a rousing, wistful chorus that winds down with sampled choir sounds and chiming bells.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])