Day 0872 - Deserter's Songs

Mercury Rev "Deserter's Songs" (1998)

Another of those "I knew the band-name but not the music" situations.  Apparently this isn't necessarily the album to start on with this band as it was a bit of a departure from their previous albums.  It's baroque pop with a range of interesting rock and orchestral instrumentation (right up my alley).

The book makes comparisons to the Beach Boys, and while that is usually made as a lazy comparison to say they have nice vocal harmonies (I should know, I've used the reference myself at times), this is actually quite reminiscent of Brian Wilson's sonic experimentation in "Pet Sounds" and "Smile".   

Another comparison made was Neil Young Singing over Pink Floyd... true, vocalist Jonathan Donahue does have a similar voice to Young and the music does have a Floydish vibe in places.   I'd add a third reference to the pot, Flaming Lips.   Donahue's high, clean vocals over such progressive, swirling pop can't help but bare a resemblance to that other innovative art pop group.

Day 0386 - Suicide

Suicide "Suicide" (1977)

I'd been keen to check these guys out ever since I saw/heard them referenced in Don Letts' excellent documentary "Punk Attitude".

Suicide are another band that took the punk attitude and abrasiveness but avoided falling into a generic 'punk' sound. The duo combined a confrontational name, a dose of nihilism and an approach that eschewed the basic ingredients of rock (even punk rock) by having no guitar player or drummer!

Using a primitive drum machine and a distorted organ the band delivers a set that is part punk rock, part avant rock with beat poetry overlaid, part drone... I could imagine these guys having been fans of the Velvet Underground's first couple of albums.