An essential selection.
Although the band made a relative name for themselves with their first 3 albums, it wasn't until the release of 'Goddess On A Hiway' that eyes and ears seemed to turn towards Mercury Rev. Quite simply, it's a breathtakingly beautiful song, Jonathan Donahue's vocals capturing the sound of a love so pure that its doomed to fail from the very start. This cinematic and moving song was to push the band onto a level of awareness and adulation that was unforeseen by many, and perhaps even more than the band may have imagined when they first formed.
'Stillness Breathes: The Essential Mercury Rev' is the story of the band from 1991 through to 2006 and it manages to capture every twist and turn of a turbulent and emotional band who evoke a passion that vastly outstrips their record sales.
With the album not appearing in chronological order, theres no great need to learn too much history of the band, but then again, a little knowledge should never be a bad thing. The bands first three albums were far more experimental than what their modern fans would be aware of, and also featured a different vocalist, David Baker holding the reigns and his delivery style could hardly be more less like Donahue's, sounding very low and at times menacing. This is best heard on 'Chasing A Bee', which opened their debut album 'Yerself Is Steam.' This album also played host to one of their earliest and best known tracks, 'Car Wash Hair.' Sounding almost dream-like, it was a nod to the sound that would eventually become their trademark but still contained some of the verve from the album around it.
The following albums catalogued a band on the brink dealing with each other and outside influences and it was no surprise when Baker eventually left, leaving Donahue as chief vocalist and the band shifted from the experimental to the orchestral. 'Empire State' and 'Everlasting Arm' hail from this period and indicates that although commercial success was still out of reach, the quality was available in abundance. It is said that Donahue reacted to this albums commercial failing badly and fell into a depressed state and the band were determined to make one final album for their benefit, as much as anyone else's.
Which brings us to the start of this review and the new era that 'Goddess On A Hiway' ushered in. 'Deserter's Songs' was a critical smash (even winning the NME album of the year) and its singles were to be heard everywhere, even cropping up on sports shows as the incidental music. 'Holes' and 'Opus 40' were the equally beautifully releases but more adventurous was the Chemical Brothers remix of 'Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp', which worked extremely well and opened up another fanbase. It seemed that Mercury Rev could do no wrong and their overnight success had been a long time in coming.
Strangely enough, at the same time, another American band who had been working for years were finally getting a breakthrough and also contained a sound that traded on the large and the cinematic. The Flaming Lips had also came to the attention of the mainstream with the sublime 'The Soft Bulletin' and a shared tour of the UK brought both bands to many peoples attention. Jonathan Donahue had once been a guitar tech, and the guitarist, in The Flaming Lips and there appeared an element of fate to both acts achieving commercial favour around the same time.
From here on in, some may argue that Mercury Rev's sound has stopped evolving and has followed the same grandiose effect and in a way, that cant be argued. It doesn't matter though when the songs are as majestic as 'The Dark Is Rising' and 'A Drop In Time' although the omission of tracks like 'Nite and Fog', 'Little Rhymes' and 'Secret For A Song' is slightly mystifying and takes a slight edge off the album.
This writer is also perplexed by the initial omission of 'Coney Island Cyclone', although a version appears on the bonus disc, alongside a collection of covers and obscurities.
The only criticism may be a lack of live tracks, with the band able to create shows which have bordered on perfection, one particular show at T in the Park featured a full ovation at the climax of every track, such was the greatness of the performance. That sounds a bit far fetched but the look on Donahue's and Grasshoppers faces to the reaction, will long be remembered by those who were fortunate enough to witness the set.
In an age where music can be disposable, bands like Mercury Rev should be cherished. This collection is an almighty great place to start but given some of the great songs that are missing, it would be remiss not to snap up their entire back catalogue. You will thank us for it later.