Mercury Rev : Snowflake Midnight :: Review
‘Snowflake Midnight’ is an aural existential trip through the senses. On Mercury Rev’s 7th album, Mercury Rev ups the ante with their sound on this outing. The first great album since ‘Deserter’s Songs’; Mercury Rev sounds refreshed and exploratory. Preferring a more textural sound, ‘Snowflake Midnight’ is the most electronic album of the band’s career. Synths bubble effectively in the background, and Jonathan Donahue’s vocals sound as dreamy as ever. The songs on Snowflake Midnight are full of beautiful atmospherics and there is no filler. Concise at 41 minutes, Mercury Rev reveal these dreamscapes slowly and effectively but also know that sometimes less is more. Most songs seem overjoyed at the concept of nature as the album is filled with imagery of butterflies, raindrops, rabbits, and squirrels. I should mention that the companion piece to this album, ‘Strange Attractor’ will be available as a download on the day of release for free. I can’t wait.
