Secret Migration [Import]

Mercury Rev | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 1, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: V2 Int'l
• ASIN: B0006G7ZQ0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,993 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Secret for a Song

2. Across Yer Ocean

3. Diamonds

4. Black Forest (Lorelei)

5. Vermillion

6. In the Wilderness

7. In a Funny Way

8. My Love

9. Moving On

10. The Climbing Rose

11. Arise

12. First-Time Mother's Joy (Flying)

13. Down Poured the Heavens

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Mercury Rev’s sixth album Secret Migration is a high flying psychedelic concept record filled with paeans to Mother Nature. Singer Jonathan Donahue has never been so in touch with his inner hobbit as he is here. Dave Fridmann remains the band’s producer, which is excellent as he’s the most interesting part of the band, and a great deal of the reason that the band’s best album, ‘98’s Deserter’s Songs, is as good as it is. M. Rev has never been a wildly original band--they’ve been aesthetically joined-at-the-hip with the Flaming Lips for much of their career, and "Diamonds" almost sounds like a parody of Wayne Coyne and crew. But there’s something beguiling about the band, a childlike simplicity that runs through their modern-day prog anthems. On "My Love," Donahue sings "Ain’t it amazing when the seasons begin to change/Someone behind the scenes just seems pull some strings," and as daft as that sounds, well, he’s right! As ecological stoner anthems go, these are righteous. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Import pressing of their 13-track album was produced by the band and long-time collaborator Dave Fridman who also worked on the bands previous 2 albums 'All Is Dream' and 'Deserter's Songs'. 'The Secret Migration' sees Mercury Rev in a somewhat lighter mood, with songs like the anthemic 'Secret for a Song' sounding immediate and forceful. If Deserter's Songs was autumn, 'All Is Dream' winter, then 'The Secret Migration' feels like spring: fresh-cheeked and infused with hopeful spirits. . V2.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different kind of album, but still as excellent as always, May 17, 2005

By 

John W. Evans (La Grande, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Migration (Audio CD)

I have been seriously listening to Mercury Rev since "Yerself Is Steam", and I enjoy the direction this band has taken. They started to gel with "Deserter's Songs", a highly evocative album of soundscapes, often bleak yet still hopeful. "All Is Dream" brought a more lush sound, characterized by the earlier open spaces in the music becoming filled in somewhat, and "The Secret Migration" continues in this direction. I like the quirkiness of their earlier material, but this band is good even when they aren't as quirky.

"The Secret Migration" doesn't sound as psychedelic to my ears as Mercury Rev's earlier albums. While there are certainly some trippy passages in which a listener can find themselves dreaming, these songs should be accessible to a fairly wide range of tastes. Jonathan Donahue's vocals are delicate, sweet and heartfelt, and the production and arrangements are exquisite. Some of the songs, particularly "My Love", and "Moving On" have a timeless quality.

This is music that should be taken on its own merits and not compared with previous Mercury Rev albums. If one can get past the differences between this effort and earlier efforts by Mercury Rev, the high quality of this musical experience will transport the listener to a place of optimism, magic and light. For me, this album evokes more emotions than most other CDs I own. It is a mature, fully realized work.

I highly recommend this one, whether or not you are a Mercury Rev fan. In times like these, I think we all need good doses of magic, nature and sunshine.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little of chaotic old with a lot of the happy new, July 5, 2005

By 

Scott Levine (Web Developing) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Secret Migration (Audio CD)

This is a wholly different mercury rev than found in Deserters songs, but rather than completely surrendering to optimism, I find them to actually bringing older elelments back into their sound. Yes, they are constantly singing about love in the forest. And they seem strangely upbeat and optimistic. And tehre ARE real choruses. But listen to those guitars! Grasshopper has always been one of my favourite guitarist because of his ability to make his guitar sound like anything from a beehive to a mushroom cloud. This was a band that got kicked off of the Lollapolooza tour for being too weird and sounding "like a bus idling out of control". Listen to "Arise", and you can sort of see how that could happen. It's the closest they have come to Yerself Is Steam in 15 years. Tehres a lot of this record that feels to me like they are saying, "ok, we've learned to make chaos, and that was too extreme and nobody liked it, so then we learned how to make pop songs and everybody liked that, so lets make REALLY poppy song and throw the chaos back in in the background and see how people like that."

I've been listening to Mercury Rev since seeing a review of them in 1991, and they are probably the only band from that era that I have been able to continually follow and be right there with every change and turn they have taken. To me they can do no wrong. And while this album has some repeated melodic motifs in the veres, they are cleverly twisted into all new melodic idea by the choruses, and the arranging and tight playing makes up for any other shortcomings. I amd a mix engineer in my spare time, and there is no quicker way to get down on your own skills and the skills of the band you are mixing then to listen to this album before a session. Next to Mercury Rev, everything else just sucks. Tons of subtlety and detail in this record. I saw them live a few months ago with Doves and they blew the headliners away. Had the whole crowd mesmerized. This band is really something, and should aboslutely be checked out by all. Its a sad state of affairs when 50 cent and Jessica Simpson are bigger than a band like Mercury Rev who still craft timeless musical magic.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars continuing excellence, May 30, 2005

By 

E. Brunak "half wit" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Migration (Audio CD)

As other reviewers have stated, it is a mistake to compare this album to MR's two previous gems (Deserter's Songs, All is Dream), because, frankly, they are maturing (a dirty word these days, apparently) and so is their sound. Forgive Jonathan Donahue for being optimistic and happy, and you can easily discover a fantastic pop album. Dave Fridmann continues his best production work (all with MR), and though the lyrics are often childlike in their simplicity, the sonic landscapes they create never are - a great combination