All Is Dream

Mercury Rev dismantles the classic definition of a rock band. Members of this collective music project have retained separate, independent lives, convening periodically to record majestic sound collages--truly brilliant pieces of art-rock that pilfer as much from Pink Floyd's progressive psychedelia as they do from Phil Spector's grand, intricate production techniques. ALL IS DREAM is vintage Mercury Rev. The proper sequel to 1998's DESERTER'S SONGS comes off as another epic soundtrack to a movie never made--a collection of musical scenes scraped from the subconscious that is best heard continuously from start to finish. mais...

The sonic flow is so seamless that no one song stands out, yet each is unique. "Nite and Fog" combines meandering keyboards with a soft, gorgeous backdrop of string accompaniment, while "Tides of the Moon" is driven by a thick, walking bass line and ghostly musical saw. Impressively, the album maintains a cohesive quality despite the vast instrumental diversity displayed from track to track. Held together by waves of orchestral outbursts and vocalist Jonathan Donahue's strangely comforting, child-like vocal style, ALL IS DREAM is a symphonic-psychedelic meditation of the highest order.

Mojo (1/02, p.69)
- Ranked #13 in Mojo's "Best [40] Albums of 2001".

The Wire (1/02, p.40)
- Ranked #32 in Wire's "50 Records of the Year 2001".

NME (12/29/01, p.59)
- Ranked #7 in NME's 50 "Albums Of the Year 2001".

Rolling Stone (9/13/01, p.108)
- 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Their most precise work yet - both musically decorous and lyrically savage....There is beauty here, cold but alluring..."

Q (9/01, p.115)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...There are unexpected delights at every turn..."

Spin (10/01, p.127)
- 7 out of 10 - "...A half-hallucianted backdrop for Woodstock resident Jonatyan Donahue's pinched, utopian ramblings..."

Mojo (9/01, p.98)
- "...A magnificent, widescreen epic..."

The Wire (8/01, p.60)
- "...Swaps magic realist renderings of the Catskills for a watery evocation of Old Broadway...the country comes to the city, meaning much here sounds plausibly like HARVEST: THE MUSICAL..."

NME (8/25/01, p.51)
- 8 out of 10 - "...An albumn of meticulously arranged set pieces...effectively conjured up by the cracked and florid genius of Donahue..."

Uncut (9/01, p.86)
- 4 1/2 stars out of 5 - "...What we have here is real desolation veiled behind sumptuously light music....Sublimely rueful..."

CMJ (8/27/01, p.5)
- "...The big sky's aglow with a 4th of July fireworks salute, and the lemonade is dosed...Sip and dream."