Customer Reviews

All Is Dream

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

There's always been a sort of fantastical edge to Mercury Rev, even in the bleak grandeur of "Deserter's Songs." But "All Is Dream" takes that edge and pushes it, with its swirling music and songs that talk about dreams, vampires, nite and fog, and "floating in the tides of the moon." It's too subdued to be their best work, but it's certainly still good.

"I always dreamed of big crowds/plumes of smoke and high clouds/But dreams don't last for long," Jonathan Donahue sings wistfully at the start of "The Dark is Rising," a plaintive meditation on how reality and dreams differ. A gentle piano melody swells into orchestral strings, before subsiding back into piano and violin.

That sets the tone for the rest of "All Is Dream," with its plaintive, pretty pop that explodes suddenly into orchestral splendor or fast-driving rock. Soft female voices call out, eerie noises sound, and catchy rhythms are tempered with thick layers of strings, synth and otherworldly lyrics. It sounds like the soundtrack to a very good action-fantasy movie.

They do break from type here and there -- "The Distance From Her To Me" is an almost unbearably cute-sounding pop song, and "Tides of the Moon" is a dark, synthy ballad, where Donahue sounds like a friendly ghost narrating a nightmare. "With prickly little thorns/sharp tiny teeth/they're hungry for the threads/hanging from your sleeve..."

"Deserters' Song" is considered the peak of Mercury Rev's career, and "All Is Dream" is not quite the same. It's more fantastical, less epic, less mind-blowing, and it's positively happy beside its sister album. It's also a bit more peaceful, with moments of yearning and fear, but overall more contemplative.

Jonathan Donahue has a rather unmelodious voice, high and a bit weird-sounding. However, it grows on you. Especially when it's paired with the music here -- strings, mellotron, hammond and French horn all spice up the sprawling rock melodies, which would sound rather bleak and underworked otherwise.

The songwriting is one of the things that had definitely changed from "Deserters' Songs." It has that Ye Olde Rocke'n'Rolle sound, a sort of fantasy vibe, with mentions of entombed pharoahs screaming and "the sun's red gown turns to brown." Despite, I might add, the mention of Leonard Cohen, which I don't really understand.

Mercury Rev's "All Is Dream" is an appropriate title. It does sound like a dream -- a long, wandering, dark and strange dream.

In 1998 Mercury Rev suprised the music world with Deserter's Songs - it was a great album that topped the critic's polls and remained atop my CD pile. The good news is, with perseverance, All Is Dream is an even better, more cohesive record. At first listen All Is Dream did not impress me and on 'Lincoln's Eyes' even repelled me, but by about my fourth listen I was enthralled - I guess the crux of this review is that if you stick with it - the rewards are bountiful. The opener 'The Dark Is Rising' sets the tone of All Is Dream wonderfully, balancing Jonathan Donahue's piano and touchingly inadequate voice against crashing waves of orchestration in an oddly beautiful beginning. 'Chains' is a thrilling song, all purpose and urgency, while 'Nite and Fog' with it's opening couplet "If God moves across the water, then the girl moves in other ways" blows me away every time - more than once during this song has the thought struck me that the Rev are moving on a markedly different plane to other groups. There is a charming naivete to 'Little Rhymes' - it sounds a little inconsequential at first listen, but is in fact quite a moving song far greater than the sum of it's parts; likewise 'You're My Queen' with it's swooning arrangement. For me, listening to All Is Dream is rather like looking at a Dali painting - a surreal experience charged with nightmarish visions and paranoia, but also, and importantly, real beauty.

I found myself actually adjusting to this album faster than I did to Deserter's Songs. By this time I've become accustomed to Rev, and it was easier to get through initially disorienting songs such as "Lincoln's Eyes," "Little Rhymes," and "Hercules."

In the end, all of the songs have captivating features. The only one I still don't like is "Spiders and Flies" -- I don't think Jonathon Donahue's voice was at its best with this song, and the piano melody is just kind of flat.

That said, here's what is so great about this album:
-- Donahue's voice is getting more 'mature' - well, he's probably in his thirties, so this isn't really the right term. But it has less of the squeaky awkwardness with which Deserter's Songs usually scored and sometimes faltered. There's a smoothness to All Is Dream's vocals that feels like a proper evolution from their previous album. It's tinged with that creakiness where it needs to be for emotion. Like on Lincoln's Eyes -- good segue to the next item...
-- "Lincoln's Eyes" - The fact that this album, with this song, was released on September 11th is still creepy in a coincidental way. The pitch and lyrics of the piece are at times haunting, with an unmajestic, detached beauty. This was mentioned in previous reviews.
-- The refrains in songs like "Chains," "A Drop in Time," "Nite and Fog," and "Hercules" are delicious. Sorry I can't articulate it any better. They just are, & that's one of the reasons I'm still smitten with this album.

I'm speaking from the perspective of someone who isn't very acquainted with Rev's earlier stuff such as Boces. I think their progress on this album was positive -- others may disagree with the direction they're taking.

This latest album from Mercury Rev elaborates and explores the sounds and themes developed on their last album Deserters Songs.I thought it would be difficult to match that album,yet All Is Dream is a very worthy effort.From a track by track point of view it's nearly as good as that amazing album.One of the reasons I wouldn't rate it as highly is that when I heard Deserters Songs the whole sound was a major novelty for me.So I suppose this album has lost that surprise factor-but it's only a very minor flaw.I would say if you liked the last one,you'll simply adore this one too.

The c.d. opens with a glorious orchestral sweepThe opening track is amazing-vast strings and orchestral arrangements,supplemented by Jonathan Donahues voice sounding more fragile then ever.Gentle choral voices build up the atmosphere in a beautiful opening track.The sound of the mellotron reappears in the next few tracks.Track2 has an eerie atmosphere,more fragile vocals and some pretty impressive guitar work-it could have been taken right off Deserters Songs."Chains" has Donohue doing a full falsetto.The drumming is quite dominant with the violins and cello's taking a more peripheral role.There's an amazing break in the song when the rhythm changes and the piano leads into a brief guitar solo,which in turns leads into a string solo.It's a brilliant ambitious piece of music.I found the vocals on track 4,"Lincoln's Eyes" just a bit too fragile for my liking.Then just to counter balance this-Donohue returns on the next track sounding stronger as falsetto is replaced by a deeper sound.It's a really great track,"Nite And Fog".The track sounds really up-beat.The acousitc guitars combine beautifully with more strings-it's one of the most radio-friendly tracks they've done.The next track has a real bolero effect-gentle drumming gains strength and momentum,choirs shimmer in the background,strings grow in volume and all the while the drums build and build to a glorious finale."A Drop In Time"-is another amazing song.The lyrics are incredibly romantic and the whole track has a wonderful feel good factor to it.The musical arrangements are so expressive.At one stage in the 3rd verse the sound is as expressive in a way that I remember the classical piece "Peter And The Wolf"-especially when he describes the subjects as 'two birds in the distance,landing and settling down'.The next track is quite short and is another atmospheric piece of work.The piano moves up and down the scales,before the band arrives and lets it rip.This is as rocky as it gets on a pretty gentle album.The next track sounds quite melancholic to me.Vocals are backed by a single piano for the first verse.Then inevitably the song develops with the sound of strings and woodwind.The last song is quite long and it also builds from a quiet start and a simple arrangement to a glorious fuller sound.It's a great conclusion to a very satisfying album.

It took me a long time to get into this album.When I first heard it I was sort of put off,cos I reckoned it sounded very similar to their last one.I didn't really play it that often-but once I gave it a chance I discovered that it's an album of beautiful melodies,gorgeous arrangements and is 50 minutes of near musical perfection with very few low points.

For reasons that are impossible to put into words - Mercury Rev has been one of my favorite bands for a long time. Coming a long way since the days when we used to jam the "Your Self Is Steam" album in dark rooms. Their last two albums have completely escaped their old genre of acid-like-psychedelic rock. This band has matured beautifully. Donohue's lyrics will tear at your heart strings and capture the most rigid of imaginations. The warm movements of strings, incorporated with Grasshopper's rich and melodic guitars, will elevate your auditory perception to unbelievable heights. Gone are the impressions of an experimental noise band, found is the chemistry of a band who understands true orchestral composition. Do not miss an opportunity to hear this band in a live performance! The "All is Dream" tour was breath-taking.

I bought this album on the strength of the first single from this album (The Dark is Rising).When I first played it, I thought "What the [heck] have I got here?" My immediate reaction was that I had spent my hard earnt cash on [junk]. After the second play of it (I always give things a chance), I can remember thinking "this is better then when I first played it". Third play even better, forth play - better still. Thats the thing with this album - it gets better every time you listen to it! Numbers 1,5 & 7 are my favorite tracks but they are all great! Hercules is mastery and the small "saw music" infill between track 4 & 5 is pure genius and quite magical!(Especially when it goes from one saw and melds seemlessly into two,creating an intertwining duet of unusual but beautifull music) BUY THIS and give it a chance! You may be dissapointed, but play it again and THEN decide! 5 out of 5. This is now my favorite album - I can't imagine my cd collection without it!

I give All Is Dream 4 stars instead of 5 only because I don't think it is quite on the same level as Deserter's Songs. It's a great album but there's just something missing for me. Deserter's Songs had an enchanting quality about it that completely captivated me, All Is Dream just misses that same plateau. It is definitely a worthy follow-up to Deserter's Songs but doesn't quite have the same magical charm. But it is still growing on me even after a couple months of repeated listenings, so who knows, maybe a month or two from now I would give it 5 stars. Maybe my problem is that because I was totally enraptured by Deserter's Songs no matter what they put out next I could only be a little disappointed. However, All Is Dream is a great record and is easily one of the year's best albums. The orchestration on this album is scaled down somewhat, but all the little oddities (such as the musical saw) that create a dream-like musical experience are still in place. For a band 10 years plus into their existence, Mercury Rev have added an impressive 5th piece of work to their much under-appreciated musical catalog.

If you don't know Mercury Rev, you should. This is a gorgeous album. As with Deserters' Songs, you may not "get it" on the first listen. You may be slightly disappointed. Only a couple tracks really grab you at first. But on subsequent listens, when tracks like "Chains" and "Lincoln's Eyes" reveal their subtleties, the album will become a favorite.

"Lincoln's Eyes" is absolutely gorgeous--delicate and creepy and beautiful, like a spiderweb. My insides collapse in upon themselves at that amazing chorus of "Little Rhymes": "And time's...all mine"...oh, you just have to hear how he sings it. And I cannot think of a more perfect song than "Nite and Fog"...well, perhaps "Carry the Zero" by Built to Spill, but certainly nothing released this year surpasses it. Jonathan Donahue has a really great voice, if you like that frail, high Neil Young/Flaming Lips sound. Which I do. Very much. Even my dad likes this album, probably because of the piano and orchestral stuff. He thought the singer was a girl though. Oh well.

This is not my favorite album of all time, but it's definitely the best of 2001, as far as I'm concerned. The Shins at a close second, if you're interested, and Amnesiac tied with the new Built to Spill, third. (Although I haven't heard the new ones from White Stripes, Sparklehorse, or Spiritualized yet. So this list could still change.) But anyway. Now run and buy your own copy of All is Dream. You'll thank me.

All is Dream by any means is an excellent record, worth buying and a pleasure to listen. This guys had a difficult task, they had to come out with an album that could live to the standards of Deserters Songs, and in my opinion they did it and did right.

They kept most of they trademark sound in practically the whole All is Dream album, they even came out with new classic tunes that after several plays wont leave your head.

Not many bands can or does provide a follow up to a classic record as Mercury Rev did with this one. Do not listen to the radical "I Cant stand Change" fans, enjoy one of the most underated bands in the USA!

i could waste your time talking about this great band. i could tell you what the songs sound like. i'm not. let's just say, this is one of the best albums ever, not just this year. mercury rev have done it again. if you are reading this, you must like the rev, so why are you waiting to buy it? do yourself a favour, pick it up. it's like deserter's songs part 2. francis ford rev. it's brilliant.