We tell the story of a brand new group of New York. The new soundtrack of Rock and Roll.
Mercury Rev is a band that was formed in 1986 in Buffalo (New York). They started doing soundtracks for short films to its members and also performed some films like "Lite-Brite" and "Sugardaddy Sea."
Their music manages to be a surreal trip tickets, experimental, psychedelic and avant-pop of the early '90s. In the beginning the group was a sextet consisting of singer David Baker, singer / guitarist Jonathan Donahue, guitarist / clarinetist Sean Mackowiak ("Grasshopper"), bassist / flutist Suzanne Thorpe, bassist Dave Fridmann and drummer Jimy Chambers .
In turn, Tony Conrad - who was a minimalist composer who had collaborated with John Cale (Velvet Underground), Faust and La Monte Young and others - was his academic mentor. He encouraged the group, under the name of Mercury Rev.
The project began to take shape and recorded their first demo tape in a 35mm film generally used. In those years, Donahue also worked as a programmer of concerts, where he met The Flaming Lips, with the soon to share affinity, and would eventually join as technical guitars. Would eventually become the lead guitarist of the group. With them he recorded "In a Priest Driven Ambulance," which was produced by Fridmann (bass).
Donahue devoted herself to The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev demo his own way, until by chance landed in the offices of Rough Trade in England. The label contacted Baker and - after agreeing to some guidelines - Mercury Rev recorded "Yerself is Steam", his first LP. The album was released in 1991, with critical acclaim, but not in the trays. While Donahue and Fridmann were working on "Hit to Death in the Future Head" by the Flaming Lips (weeks after the album's release), Rough Trade announced the bankruptcy of its branch in America, leaving the possibilities of music welcome.
Despite these adversities, the group organized a tour full of disruptions
(Without tests, without knowing what would be the songs that would play, discussions and Baker down the middle stage of the topics (sometimes in search of a drink), or with problems aboard a commercial airliner.
Once the tour ended, each of the members went their own way (some found jobs, others moved with their families and others made their living by participating in medical experiments).
Magically, Sony decided to hire the services of the group and re-release "is Yerself Steam". Soon after he recorded the single "Car Wash Hair" with the production of Dean Wareham of Luna (formerly lead singer on Galaxy 500). In the midst of crises and discussions, the group built a studio in a barn and recorded his new album, for which also includes environmental site sounds like Times Square or Cape Canaveral (another aspect of his musical composition filmmakers, this throughout his work). In all this process led to "Boces" (1993), his second album (named after a school for children in New York) that would undertake a new tour - and even play in the second stage of the festival Lollapalooza, where they would be expelled for excess noise in the middle of a concert (they cut the electricity in the middle of a performance and had to be the sound man in tow, to prevent unleashed his anger on one of the organizers) -.
In these first plates, Mercury showed some letters which had no place more mysterious nature. With an ambience that included forest twilight, the eternal battle of light against darkness, nights, companies, shrews and a whole universe within each song. In addition to a much more rock than their later albums showed. With distorted guitars, detailed arrangements Fridmann's hand, and a lyric rampant.
Baker left the band soon after and dedicated to his solo career (under the name Shady), and decided to devote himself exclusively Fridmann production.
In 1995 appeared "See You On The Other Side", an album which Donahue believed to have had little impact but, however, is another example of the genius of Mercury Rev. The arguments and fights among the members were guests at the group while the press named one of the most important rock bands of the decade.
"Donahue suffered a nervous breakdown and could not get out of bed in weeks, during which he dedicated to drink and to end the relationship with his girlfriend. Jimy Chambers. It just took off leaving the band in the middle of a session, tired of the chaos. Grasshopper retired to a monastery where music was banned for a few weeks, while Suzanne Thorpe Fridmann and the band lost interest (definitely leaving the second to finish his career in forensic). Chemical Brothers would get only the band broke her silence to assist in "Dig Your Own Hole" ".
However, Mercury Rev found a way to reinvent itself, recording one of the most important rock albums in the nineties: "Deserter's Songs". Although delirium was again a regular in the band, which led to Donahue and Grasshopper to think that Mercury was liquidated and returned home in Catskill, decided to record something together, "Last Tango" - as they called them-the disk always wanted to do but no one had interested record because the group was simply a failure. Later signed to V2 and "Deserter's Songs" was unanimously considered the best album of 1998.
Deep in the new century proved to be one of the exclusive bands are noted progress in their compositions, demonstrating a character. And they could boast of being one of the most important bands in North America. Although "All Is Dream" continued the curse of the band: the disc must be produced by Jack Nietzsche, famous for having worked with Phil Spector, Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young and The Rolling Stones and a dozen soundtracks. But Nietzsche died a week before having to enter record.
As always, Mercury Rev went ahead and "All Is Dream" was released in mid 2001.Con this album the duo's compositional Donahue and Grasshopper reached perhaps its best. A work setting out with unerring precision the claims of the band. "All Is Dream" created their own universe, a film that could be heard, to which the listener can sit down and figure out the round.
On January 24, 2005 came the new work of Mercury Rev: "The Secret Migration" began to take shape in the fall of 2002 after a grueling world tour. Authoritatively plate shape did the viewing public, which once again was at one of the musical gems of the new century (for the skeptics who still do not tire of detracting from existing creations).
Mercury Rev is a band that combines in a unique way the psychedelia of Pink Floyd, Radiohead environmental rock and / or "Yo I have" and facets of the duo rockers Reed / Cale of The Velvet Underground. Undoubtedly, one of the bands with the most personality in recent years, combining rock and style in a way rarely seen.
By Dei Pier.
