"I know love sounds impossible"
As far as I'm concerned, Mercury Rev are a precious American asset, and much like the Flaming Lips, they are truely and genuinely a bizarre band. They've been together, in one lineup or another, for nearly twenty years. Originally, they formed in upstate New York in the late 80s, making their first recordings for soundtracks to the experimental films they and their friends were making. Around the same time, Jonathan Donahue (guitar/vocals), was also promoting shows and met up with the Flaming Lips after a Butthole Surfers show. I think it was prompted by their mutual realization of like-mindedness, but shortly thereafter, he became their guitar-tech for that particular tour, then ended up as their lead-guitarist (calling himself "Dingus") for the Lips' freaky 1990 album, In a Priest Driven Ambulance which was engineered by Rev's bassist/engineer, Dave Fridmann.
Despite their being tangled up with the Lips, after their demo reel (which had been recorded to magnetic 35MM film - wait, what?) made it into the hands of the Rough Trade offices, the Rev managed to get their first album, Yerself Is Steam, released in 1991. Over the next ten years, with members of the band fighting each other too often (the band nearly broke up a few times), some of the band left (first the tempermental but genius vocalist, David Baker, then percussionist Jimy Chambers and flautist Suzanne Thorpe) and others joined (Jeff Mercel on drums/piano, and Adam Snyder on keyboards) - the constants within the band are Donahue, Grasshopper (guitars), and Fridmann. (If you want to learn more about Mercury Rev's storied past, like Donahue trying to take out Grasshopper's eye with a spoon, there's plenty of material on them available online.) Throughout this time, they released four other full-length albums (and a 40-minute experimental noise album, recorded as Harmony Rockets), toured many many times, and have been constantly expanding and growing their freaky, cinematic pop sound.
Most recently, in the middle of this past May, they released The Secret Migration - thirteen tracks of post-modern psychedelia, at times dreamy and etherial, at others huge and bombastic. The first single from the album, "In A Funny Way" sounds like a long-lost Flaming Lips song as produced by Phil Spector - its a huge wall of sound, with rising strings, a driving bassline, and perfectly-recorded, highly-compressed drums. "Vermillion" is another standout track on the album, with a slow piano-based build that suddenly unfolds and explodes out with the rest of the band laying on bass, drum and guitar.
I saw them perform, with Doves, a few weeks back, and I was genuinely blown away by their show. They're as tight as a band that's been together this long could be - songs starting and stopping without any signal from one member or another - it looked and sounded as though they were just psychically connected. Or maybe they are actually robots (never discount that possibility): really passionate, well-programmed musical robots. The singer was all poses and dramatic flair - something I haven't seen much of lately in this post-ironic musical age - and I loved him, as did my companion who kept saying "Did you see the way he looked up here at us? At me?" - yes, I certainly did. With eyes as wild as his, it was impossible not to notice when he made eye-contact with you. Their whole set was amazing, they sounded really great, and the lights and visuals they had set up (way to go Webster Hall) really made it an experience.
I highly reccomend you check out The Secret Migration - buy it here or here - I'd also reccomend checking out some of their back-catalogue. If you're lucky enough to be living in Europe, the band is touring there till mid-July, then they're hitting Australia - check their tour page for the details.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PS: You've got one more day to submit entries to win tickets for the 'Sup + MFR BBQ and show this Sunday... come on people!