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Mercury Rev : Deserter’s Songs

V2/COOPERATIVE

When Deserter’s Songs was initially released in 1998, it sounded like a rather definitive statement. The record stands as Mercury Rev’s moment of epiphany—when all of the myriad aspects of its shifting cinematic influences came into deep focus. Ostensibly a re-issue of the classic album, the new 2-CD edition features bonus tracks, rough mixes, alternate versions and re-mixes by the likes of Bill Laswell, and beautifully bent home cassette-recorded tunes that enhance its lingering legend. The original platter followed an intoxicating path toward some sort of celestial nirvana. The additional pieces gathered here—perhaps best seen in their alternate light on “Holes,” “Endlessly” and an early version of the effervescent “Opus 40”—are interesting for their raw orchestral passages, surreal psychedelia and modern pop sensibilities. Self-indulgent? Maybe. But, with the band playing the entire gorgeous album in concert this summer, one would feel hard-pressed to deny its continuing artistic value—bonus tracks or otherwise.