After
David Baker
left the group for weirder pastures, the rest of
Mercury Rev
returned with
See You on the Other Side
, an album very much in the group's expansive,
experimental
tradition, yet distinct from its work with
Baker
. The sprawling compositions, elaborate arrangements, and jazzy leanings
perfected on
Boces
return on
, as exemplified by the opening track,
"Empire State (Son House in Excelsis)."
But without
's merry prankster vocals, the album feels a bit unbalanced, as though the group was still adjusting to making music without him when the album was recorded. The lean, tense
"Young Man's Stride"
could've had even more impact had
sung it but, for the most part,
Jonathan Donahue
handles all the vocal duties ably, swinging the group toward its gently whimsical side in the process. The brilliant single
"Everlasting Arm"
sweetly deconstructs
Pet Sounds
-style
pop
years before that became one of
indie rock
's dominant styles, while
"A Kiss From an Old Flame (A Trip to the Moon)"
lives up to its title with giddy, swirling flutes and otherworldly backing vocals. Dreamy, yearning songs like
"Sudden Ray of Hope"
and
"Racing the Tide"
revel in the unabashed prettiness that
used to hide under layers of freaked-out guitars, and
"Peaceful Night,"
the group's quirky take on
Tin Pan Alley
songwriting, proves that they weren't getting less inventive as time went on, they were just getting subtler about it.
's relatively short length adds to its rather unfair middle-child status, but it pointed the way toward
's breakthrough with
Deserter's Songs
, and is a completely charming -- if underrated -- album in its own right. ~ Heather Phares