Mercury Rev survives to create a dream

ho would have thought that a band that started as a pair of upstate-New York misfits making instrumental soundtracks for nature films would end up here? Who would have thought Mercury Rev would survive massive turnover (including the departure of the band's original singer), heavy narcotics abuse, major-label departure, an airline ban, being kicked off Lollapalooza for excessive noise and, oh yeah, a guitarist shutting himself up in a monastery for half a year?\nNevertheless, Mercury Rev returned from purgatory in 1998 with the stunning Deserter's Songs, and now the musicians have very possibly outdone themselves with their new album, All is Dream. Simultaneously encompassing the orchestral majesty of Deserter's Songs and the titanic noise of their earlier, more erratic days, All is Dream is sprawling and self-indulgent -- and I mean that as a compliment. It's a uniquely American work and a fitting tribute to Jack Nitzsche, the composer, arranger and musician whose work stretched from Phil Spector to the Rolling Stones to film scores. Nitzsche was to produce All is Dream, but passed away last year just before Rev went back into the studio.\n"The Dark is Rising" opens the record with an orchestral swell like a wave crashing against the shore -- it kicks you in the gut and leaves you vulnerable for Jonathan Donohue's Neil Young-nasal vocals and piano melody. "Chains" is the next emotional peak, bringing in the guitar and big drum sound missing from Deserter's Songs pastoral reflections. "A Drop in Time" goes the opposite direction, bringing the band's showtune-wannabe tendencies to the fore. As on all previous Rev albums, the flow from one song to the next is seamless, creating a tour de force statement that will be hard to top next time out.\nThankfully, it would seem that there will be a next time out. On the back cover of 1995's See You On The Other Side, Donohue gazed at a handgun and bullets spread out on a table. Six years later, the trials of the band's salad days would seem to be over, the ship has been righted, and Mercury Rev has taken its rightful place as one of America's premier ensembles. The only question is, where to next?