Psychedelic, experimental, rock band Mercury Rev commanded worldwide attention with their opus Deserter’s Songs in 1998, its sweeping orchestrations and poetically heartfelt lyrics earning album of the year accolades from NME and MOJO. Their thrill-seeking continued on All is Dream in 2001, before stumbling into exhilarating new musical galaxies with The Secret Migration (2005), described by Rolling Stone as “their great life-cycle album, their own Dark Side of the Moon, except this one ends in promise and light”. Snowflake Midnight, their forthcoming release, confirms their rare essence is intact, but tilted on its axis. With its injection of vintage and present-day electronics, this sounds like a regenerated Mercury Rev.
Few bands can reinvent themselves even once, but this heralds the sound of lightning striking again.
Mercury Rev play the Kilkenny Arts Festival on Tuesday August 12th at The Hub (Cilin Hill, Dublin Road). Doors 7:30pm. Support comes from Alphastates and Oppenheimer with support starting from 8pm. Tickets (if they’re still available) can be found via Ticketmaster.ie or by phoning the box office on 056 7752175.
