Music Banter - View Single Post - 50 Indie/Alternative Albums You Should Listen To

Zer0 · 12-11-2011, 02:47 PM

Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam (1991)

Mercury Rev on their debut album Yerself Is Steam sound like a completely different beast than on their later releases. Yerself Is Steam (gettit?) is a noisy psychedelic monster that listening to feels like an out of body experience. This album takes the listener on a walk through swirling landscapes with a feast of vivid colours and sounds and even making you feel disorientated at times. Founder member David Baker and Jonathan Donahue share lead vocals on this album, applying their voices wherever they suit best. The deep baritone voice of Baker contrasts nicely with the higher register nasal vocals of Donahue, which is evident on the soaring album opener ‘Chasing a Bee’, Baker singing vocals during the verses and Donahue singing the chorus. Where the album really takes off however is on the epic ‘Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t’ th’ Center of Yer Heart’ which is what being launched into space on acid must feel like. It’s as beautiful as it is exhilarating. ‘Frittering’ in contrast has a more melancholic and down-to-earth alternative rock sound yet still sits seamlessly alongside ‘Sweet Oddysee’.

Deserter’s Songs might be a better introduction to the band but Yerself Is Stream is Mercury Rev at their most adventurous and exciting. You might feel like you need drugs to enjoy this but the music makes you feel trippy enough as you are. Also listen out for some backing vocals from Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500.

Recommended Songs: ‘Chasing a Bee’, ‘Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t’ th’ Center of Yer Heart’, ‘Frittering’

Mojave 3 - Ask Me Tomorrow (1995)

After the dissolution of Slowdive, former members Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon regrouped and formed Mojave 3. In contrast to Slowdive, Mojave 3 adopted a dream-pop/folk-rock fusion sound and allowed their songwriting to come more to the fore. One thing that got lost most of the time in Slowdive’s wall of sound was the downbeat and introspective vocals, but with Mojave 3 these downbeat vocals came very much to the fore and could now be clearly heard, also showing what a good songwriting pair Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell were in the process. Ask Me Tomorrow is a great album to listen to when you feel like finding comfort in music. It’s an incredibly beautiful, delicate and melancholic album and makes for a warm, comforting listening experience. The haunting vocals and slide-guitar of ‘Love Songs on the Radio’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Taken’ are both incredibly moving and display a band a world away from the ambient minimalism of the final Slowdive album Pygmalion released earlier that year. The album flows perfectly and consistently as a whole right up to the wonderfully uplifting finale of ‘Mercy’, which sounds like it was just destined to be an album closer.

Ask Me Tomorrow rose like a phoenix from the flames and showed there was life after Slowdive. Mojave 3 had a reasonably successful career together and 2000’s Excuses For Travellers is another wonderful album worth investigating. But for newcomers their debut Ask Me Tomorrow is the ideal place to start.

Recommended Songs: ‘Love Songs on the Radio’, ‘Tomorrow’s Taken’, ‘Mercy’

12-11-2011, 02:47 PM	#62 (permalink)
Zer0 ∞ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,792	Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam (1991) Mercury Rev on their debut album Yerself Is Steam sound like a completely different beast than on their later releases. Yerself Is Steam (gettit?) is a noisy psychedelic monster that listening to feels like an out of body experience. This album takes the listener on a walk through swirling landscapes with a feast of vivid colours and sounds and even making you feel disorientated at times. Founder member David Baker and Jonathan Donahue share lead vocals on this album, applying their voices wherever they suit best. The deep baritone voice of Baker contrasts nicely with the higher register nasal vocals of Donahue, which is evident on the soaring album opener ‘Chasing a Bee’, Baker singing vocals during the verses and Donahue singing the chorus. Where the album really takes off however is on the epic ‘Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t’ th’ Center of Yer Heart’ which is what being launched into space on acid must feel like. It’s as beautiful as it is exhilarating. ‘Frittering’ in contrast has a more melancholic and down-to-earth alternative rock sound yet still sits seamlessly alongside ‘Sweet Oddysee’. Deserter’s Songs might be a better introduction to the band but Yerself Is Stream is Mercury Rev at their most adventurous and exciting. You might feel like you need drugs to enjoy this but the music makes you feel trippy enough as you are. Also listen out for some backing vocals from Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500. Recommended Songs: ‘Chasing a Bee’, ‘Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t’ th’ Center of Yer Heart’, ‘Frittering’ Mojave 3 - Ask Me Tomorrow (1995) After the dissolution of Slowdive, former members Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon regrouped and formed Mojave 3. In contrast to Slowdive, Mojave 3 adopted a dream-pop/folk-rock fusion sound and allowed their songwriting to come more to the fore. One thing that got lost most of the time in Slowdive’s wall of sound was the downbeat and introspective vocals, but with Mojave 3 these downbeat vocals came very much to the fore and could now be clearly heard, also showing what a good songwriting pair Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell were in the process. Ask Me Tomorrow is a great album to listen to when you feel like finding comfort in music. It’s an incredibly beautiful, delicate and melancholic album and makes for a warm, comforting listening experience. The haunting vocals and slide-guitar of ‘Love Songs on the Radio’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Taken’ are both incredibly moving and display a band a world away from the ambient minimalism of the final Slowdive album Pygmalion released earlier that year. The album flows perfectly and consistently as a whole right up to the wonderfully uplifting finale of ‘Mercy’, which sounds like it was just destined to be an album closer. Ask Me Tomorrow rose like a phoenix from the flames and showed there was life after Slowdive. Mojave 3 had a reasonably successful career together and 2000’s Excuses For Travellers is another wonderful album worth investigating. But for newcomers their debut Ask Me Tomorrow is the ideal place to start. Recommended Songs: ‘Love Songs on the Radio’, ‘Tomorrow’s Taken’, ‘Mercy’ __________________ Last FM \| RYM \| The Final Sound Last edited by Zer0; 12-11-2011 at 02:55 PM.