Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight (2021 Deluxe Edition) [2008] + The Secret Migration (2020 Deluxe Edition) [2005] (10 x CDs)

 

MERCURY REV

Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight (2021 Deluxe Edition) [2008] + The Secret Migration (2020 Deluxe Edition) [2005] (10 x CDs) 

Mercury Rev is an American rock band formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York, with singer/guitarist Jonathan Donahue and guitarist/clarinetist/sound generator operator Sean "Grasshopper" Mackowiak as the only constant members. The band's music has incorporated indie rock, psychedelic rock, American roots music and noise rock, amongst other forms. Mercury Rev have been closely associated with The Flaming Lips, and the two bands have shared historical ties.

Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight (2021 Deluxe Edition) [2008] 

Mercury Rev are as at one with nature as ever on Snowflake Midnight, an album whose title reflects its delicately frosty electronics and late-night meditations perfectly. Jonathan Donahue is still an unabashed romantic, empathizing with a snowflake's plight on the album opener "Snowflake in a Hot World," finding deeper meaning in its fleeting beauty and individuality. Even though its exclamations ("You're not the same!") are a little over the top, the wide-eyed lyricism the band attempted on Secret Migration finds more focus and restraint on this song and throughout Snowflake Midnight. Instead of piling on more and more sounds and sentimental lyrics like they did with their previous album, here Mercury Rev simplify and let the music suggest moods, rather than making it too obvious how these songs should make listeners feel. "October Sunshine"'s Eno-esque synth washes capture a waning sunbeam so clearly you can almost see the dust particles hovering in it, and though "Senses on Fire" is little more than the title repeated over and over while beats and riffs surge and float, its in-the-moment joy makes it one of Snowflake Midnight's brightest highlights. A more minimal Mercury Rev is still pretty widescreen, though: "Butterfly's Wing" layers fluttery textures, masses of vocal harmonies, and children's laughter into something as majestic yet personal as anything on All Is Dream or Deserter's Songs. There are a handful of epics on Snowflake Midnight, including the nearly eight-minute "Dream of a Young Girl as a Flower," which moves from dark electronics and to vibrant rock like night into day. As a whole, Snowflake Midnight works as a soothing, gently inspiring song cycle, the likes of which Mercury Rev hasn't made since See You on the Other Side. (AMG review by Heather Phares)

The Secret Migration (2020 Deluxe Edition) [2005]

On The Secret Migration, Mercury Rev aims to express how love can be both incredibly intimate and universal-feeling at the same time. If any band could capture that dichotomy, it's them: on Deserter's Songs and All Is Dream, they found a way to blend the epic sound that they'd been known for since the days of Boces and See You on the Other Side with more personal songwriting. Unfortunately, they don't quite achieve this tricky balancing act on The Secret Migration. Jonathan Donahue's diary-quality songwriting and Dave Fridmann's glossy, intrusive production work against each other, resulting in a collection of songs that feel overdone yet incomplete. Over time, Donahue has gone from being an extremely abstract lyricist to a remarkably literal one; even though Secret Migration's first few songs dress up his sentiments in Renaissance Faire frippery and nature imagery (the meandering "Black Forest (Lorelei)" begins, "If I was a white horse/An' offered you a ride/Thru a black forest..."), throughout the album his thoughts about love's healing powers are straightforward, almost to the point of being generic. He tones down the fairy-tale wordplay as the album goes on, but the painfully earnest feeling remains. Donahue and the rest of the band deserve credit for being so emotionally naked, in some ways, it's easier to connect to words like "Wanna ask but I just stare/Can I run my hands through your car wash hair" than "Down Poured the Heavens"' "I praise the god sublime/Who let this fallen angel/I into this world of mine." The problems with the album's lyrics are even more glaring because The Secret Migration is so bland musically. The band's sound is as epic and ethereal as ever, but it's also surprisingly easy to tune out; it often feels like an AOR-friendly version of All Is Dream, and the electronic percussion and drum loops on several tracks feel dated and fussy. For a few moments, the album soars: "Across Yer Ocean" and "Vermillion" have enough musical movement that the cringe-worthy words aren't as noticeable. "First-Time Mother's Joy (Flying)" takes the opposite approach, with restrained sonics and lyrics that are so unabashedly sentimental that they actually are pretty affecting. "In a Funny Way" is hands-down The Secret Migration's best track, capturing the joy the rest of the album wants to convey with a mildly trippy, sitar- and brass-driven arrangement that nods to Mercury Rev's musical past without rehashing it. However, too much of the album consists of near-misses like "Arise" and "Climbing Rose," both of which are pretty but don't have much musical or emotional impact. At once too conventional and too quirky, The Secret Migration might be Mercury Rev's happiest-sounding album, but it's also the weakest of their career. [Much like the 2019 deluxe reissue of All Is Dream, the 2020 edition of The Secret Migration expands on this era of Mercury Rev's career with a wealth of bonuses. Along with highlights from the band's world tour supporting the album, the collection includes their soundtrack Hello Blackbird. It's the B-sides, outtakes, and demos, however, that build on Secret Migration's wide-eyed romanticism with frequently stunning results. Many of the B-sides are covers that once again demonstrate their wide-ranging musical knowledge and taste.Their version of Bobby Charles' "Tennessee Blues" is another fine example of the rootsiness they made their own starting with Deserter's Songs, a mood that continues on their take on Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge's "I Never Had It So Good." Elsewhere, Mercury Rev's cosmic side sparkles on a gorgeous interpretation of Daniel Johnston's "Blue Clouds" and a lush, tender reading of Nico's "Afraid." The band's own material is both more restrained and less studied than The Secret Migration itself, spanning poetic reveries like "Mirror for a Bell" and "Season of Poussin" and the majestic psych-pop of "Late Night Request" and "Look at Brutis with His Knife." The stripped-down sketches of "In a Funny Way" and "Down Poured the Heavens" let their melodies and songwriting shine, reaffirming that even Mercury Rev fans who don't love The Secret Migration will find a lot to cherish in this thoughtfully curated reissue.] (AMG)

Beautiful!

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Track lists

CD1

01 Mercury Rev - Snowflake In A Hot World 3:58

02 Mercury Rev - Butterfly's Wing 4:06

03 Mercury Rev - Senses On Fire 3:30

04 Mercury Rev - People Are So Unpredictable (there's No Bliss Like Home) 6:40

05 Mercury Rev - October Sunshine 2:13

06 Mercury Rev - Runaway Raindrop 5:55

07 Mercury Rev - Dream Of A Young Girl As A Flower 7:55

08 Mercury Rev - Faraway From Cars 3:19

09 Mercury Rev - A Squirrel And I (holding On... And Then Letting Go) 3:54

CD2

01 Mercury Rev - Is That You? 3:58

02 Mercury Rev - Triumphant Elephant 7:25

03 Mercury Rev - Evening Delight 4:46

04 Mercury Rev - The Witches Of Mink Hollow 6:24

05 Mercury Rev - Lullaby For Legs Diamond 4:40

06 Mercury Rev - Upstairs At The Continental 3:33

07 Mercury Rev - Brainwave Concerto #12 At John Zorn's Place 2:45

08 Mercury Rev - Cfny In The Mid Eighties (sounds Like) 4:21

09 Mercury Rev - The Recurring Dream Of Marv Levy 5:08

10 Mercury Rev - Belles Of Kingston 4:09

11 Mercury Rev - The Flying Saucer 3:07

12 Mercury Rev - Remember That Time When We... 29:06

CD3

01 Mercury Rev - Saturday In The Dark 10:56

02 Mercury Rev - The Fall Of Sophia 3:56

03 Mercury Rev - Mayor In A Cathouse 3:13

04 Mercury Rev - The Giant Courthouse Screw 7:14

05 Mercury Rev - 4am Trains Across Kingston 1:55

06 Mercury Rev - Flashback And Freedom 3:00

07 Mercury Rev - Stepping In And Stepping Out 12:00

08 Mercury Rev - Last Train To Poughkeepsie 36:52

CD4

01 Mercury Rev - Snowflake In A Hot World (live, Black Sessions, 2008) 8:22

02 Mercury Rev - October Sunshine (live, Black Sessions, 2008) 2:29

03 Mercury Rev - You're My Queen (live, Black Sessions, 2008) 9:13

04 Mercury Rev - People Are So Unpredictable (live, Black Sessions, 2008) 7:28

05 Mercury Rev - Butterfly's Wing (live, Leeds, 2008) 4:48

06 Mercury Rev - Dream Of A Young Girl As A Flower (live, Leeds, 2008) 10:17

07 Mercury Rev - The Dark Is Rising (live, Black Sessions, 2008) 6:17

08 Mercury Rev - Senses On Fire (live, Black Sessions, 2008) 7:00

CD5

01 Mercury Rev - Love Is Pure 6:53

02 Mercury Rev - Taken Up Into Clouds, Changed, And Rained Down 1:43

03 Mercury Rev - Pure Joie De La Solitude 2:51

04 Mercury Rev - Persistence And The Apis Mellifera 3:51

05 Mercury Rev - Fable Of A Silver Moon 1:13

06 Mercury Rev - Loop Lisse, Loop 4:26

07 Mercury Rev - In My Heart, A Strange Attractor 5:26

08 Mercury Rev - Incident On Abeel Street 2:15

09 Mercury Rev - Af Den Fader Kommer Den Sol 2:35

10 Mercury Rev - Because Because Because 3:25

11 Mercury Rev - Nocturne For Norwood 5:40

12 Mercury Rev - Butterfly's Wing (isan Alien Adoption Remix) 4:41

13 Mercury Rev - Senses On Fire (fujiya And Miyagi Remix) 5:27

14 Mercury Rev - Butterfly's Wing (carlos Anthony Molina "4 On The Flux" Mix) 9:13

15 Mercury Rev - Senses On Fire (holden Mix) 9:25

+ The Secret Migration

CD1

01 Mercury Rev - Secret For A Song 4:01

02 Mercury Rev - Across Yer Ocean 3:20

03 Mercury Rev - Diamonds 3:51

04 Mercury Rev - Black Forest (lorelei) 4:46

05 Mercury Rev - Vermillion 4:07

06 Mercury Rev - In The Wilderness 2:32

07 Mercury Rev - In A Funny Way 4:02

08 Mercury Rev - My Love 4:14

09 Mercury Rev - Moving On 1:20

10 Mercury Rev - The Climbing Rose 3:19

11 Mercury Rev - Arise 3:49

12 Mercury Rev - First-time Mother's Joy (flying) 3:31

13 Mercury Rev - Down Poured The Heavens 1:36

CD2

01 Mercury Rev - Tennessee Blues 3:50

02 Mercury Rev - Afraid 3:44

03 Mercury Rev - Seagull 3:08

04 Mercury Rev - Androgynous 2:57

05 Mercury Rev - Mirror For A Bell 3:14

06 Mercury Rev - Good Times Ahead 3:00

07 Mercury Rev - Blue Clouds 4:36

08 Mercury Rev - I Never Had It So Good 3:56

09 Mercury Rev - Black Forest (lorelei) (adam Peters Remix) 5:09

10 Mercury Rev - Late Night Request 3:39

11 Mercury Rev - A Season Of Poussin 4:29

12 Mercury Rev - Good Day 4:38

13 Mercury Rev - Look At Brutis With His Knife 5:05

14 Mercury Rev - The Alchemy Of Lovers 7:01

CD3

01 Mercury Rev - Diamonds (demo) 3:29

02 Mercury Rev - Black Forest (lorelei) 'fender Jaguar Version' (demo) 8:52

03 Mercury Rev - First-time Mother´s Joy (flying) (snippet) 0:26

04 Mercury Rev - In A Funny Way (demo) 4:15

05 Mercury Rev - Seagull (demo) 2:54

06 Mercury Rev - Vermillion (demo) 4:01

07 Mercury Rev - Siphoned From The Sea (demo) 0:40

08 Mercury Rev - My Love (demo) 5:02

09 Mercury Rev - Secret For A Song (snippet) 1:20

10 Mercury Rev - In The Wilderness (snippet) 1:23

11 Mercury Rev - Black Forest (loreley) 'vega Barking' (demo) 3:06

12 Mercury Rev - It´s All That You Need (snippet) 1:15

13 Mercury Rev - In The Wilderness (demo) 2:19

14 Mercury Rev - Down Poured The Heavens (demo) 2:05

CD4

01 Mercury Rev - Secret For A Song (sydney Opera House 7/13/05) 4:49

02 Mercury Rev - Black Forest (loreley) (toronto 5/16/05) 4:47

03 Mercury Rev - Mirror For A Bell (stockholm 3/17/05) 4:28

04 Mercury Rev - My Love (the Ritz (nyc) 5/19/05) 4:07

05 Mercury Rev - Vermillion (florence 11/30/04) 4:07

06 Mercury Rev - In A Funny Way (hammersmith Apollo 3/12/05) 4:18

07 Mercury Rev - First Time Mother´s Joy (flying) (lausane 11/27/04) 4:36

08 Mercury Rev - In The Wilderness (perth 7/20/05) 5:46

09 Mercury Rev - Down Poured The Heavens (skopje 6/10/05) 2:37

10 Mercury Rev - Holes (leipzig 11/22/04) 5:34

11 Mercury Rev - Arise (luxemborg 6/05/05) 4:24

12 Mercury Rev - Diamonds (st Brieve 6/03/05) 5:23

13 Mercury Rev - The Dark Is Rising (coachella 4/30/05) 7:01

CD5

01 Mercury Rev - Blackbird's Call 4:37

02 Mercury Rev - Illumination By Street-lamp 0:43

03 Mercury Rev - Waltz For Alice 1:42

04 Mercury Rev - Trial By Wire 0:57

05 Mercury Rev - Daydream For Nina 1:05

06 Mercury Rev - Audition Scene Sketch (simply Because) 0:44

07 Mercury Rev - The White Birds 9:45

08 Mercury Rev - Josef's Vision 2:11

09 Mercury Rev - Eye Of The Blackbird (travelling Music Ii) 2:26

10 Mercury Rev - The Last Of The White Birds (march Funebre) 3:18

11 Mercury Rev - Cinema Theme 1:20

12 Mercury Rev - First Flight Of The White Birds 0:41

13 Mercury Rev - The Chimpy Waltz 1:35

14 Mercury Rev - Dempsey's Theme 1:05

15 Mercury Rev - Fantasia No. 1 1:12

16 Mercury Rev - Robert Y Roberto 1:01

17 Mercury Rev - Travelling Music 1:05

18 Mercury Rev - Departed Angels 4:12

19 Mercury Rev - Simply Because 1:32

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