On May 16, Mercury Rev will return with a deluxe double CD reissue of their classic 1998 album, Deserter’s Songs via Co-Op Music. The release comes complete with a 13-track bonus disc of demos, b-sides, rarities and outtakes. And In honor of the album’s re-release, Mercury Rev have made their classic song “Opus 40” available for free download.
Even for Mercury Rev, who had become know for their arty, left-field pop, Deserter’s Songs was something of a revelation. Tweaking their reputation for harsh noisy freakouts, the album was a lush, orchestral counterpoint to the band’s catalogue at that point. Incorporating elements of folk, jazz, ’60s rock, and even Disney soundtrack fantasia, Deserter’s Songs was like nothing that had come before it. Tracks like “The Funny Bird,” “Holes,” and “Opus 40” were cosmic epics, whose arrangements were simultaneously grandiose and tender.
