After nearly 30 years since the release of their debut album, Mercury Rev have become a buzz band all over again with the recent extensive shoegaze revival. Yet although their name has materialized upon countless listicles highlighting the genre’s first wave of artists, their influence extends far beyond the realm of dream-pop, as their psychedelically shaded sound has crossed over into chamber pop, alt-country, space rock, and beyond over the course of 10 albums.
This their eleventh album continues the experimental streak. The singles leading up to “Born Horses” the New Yorkers’ first album since “The Delta Sweet Revisited”,their 2019 collection of collaborations paying homage to country-soul icon Bobbie Gentry have suggested the influence of Beat poetry and minimalist composition, with jazz and classical instrumentation aiding the band’s ambient blend of sound.
Yet as the band’s members explain, that set of influences goes much deeper, with ’60s British prog-rockers Bachdenkel being listed on the influences playlist they’ve shared with us, alongside Chicago’s cult krautrockers Bitchin Bajas, Greek new-age figure Iasos, and a handful of iconic figures among jazz and classical music.
With Born Horses landing this Friday via Bella Union,
The Fat Angel Sings 