DESERTER'S SONGS

I have spent way too much time with this record. I've had it in and out of my rotation for months, each time putting it aside after a couple of spins feeling like I'll get to it later. This is a lot to take in on the one hand because this is different. The atmosphere is really over the top, plus we get a singer who I honestly didn't know if they were male or female and they are an acquired taste. Different, almost child-like but at the same time sounding like an old person barely singing the words. This is especially true on the first three tracks so I wasn't scrambling to play this each time, and at times I didn't make it past the third tune.

I mention the atmosphere, and we have three members of the six credited with playing mellotron although Andy at Planet Mellotron insists the mellotron are all samples. Andy tells a story about the keyboardist many years after this album was released, seeing a real mellotron and exclaiming "So that's what a mellotron looks like". There has to be sampled orchestral music too. I kept thinking during my on and off again time with this record that this sounds like Disney music. The production is everything on this record in my opinion. Covers a lot of flaws. This is charming and tagged with chamber pop, very lush and dreamy.

Their early albums are tagged with noise-pop and shoegaze but this fourth record sees a change in all of that. And it worked! This album put them on the map. They get mentioned with THE FLAMING LIPS quite often and share a key member Jonathon Donahue. Levon Helm plays drums on one track. What! THE BAND guy? Yup. We get 11 tracks worth over 44 minutes. I find it interesting that there seems to be a divide between fans who love those first three tracks, their favourites, and fans like me who find the opening three tough going, and the least favourite of the bunch.

The fifth track "Opus 40" has vocals but they are higher pitched, just sounding different with more of a tempo. Some BEATLES- like stuff here too. I swear I hear theremin on the opener but it might be deranged whistling. I mention it here because whistling ends this one. There's sax on "Hudson Line" and Jonathon is the singer here this time. Still singing like the other guy in that reserved, soft style. Whimsical stuff. "Goddess On A Hiway" is a short poppy piece but catchy, one of my favourites. "Funny Bird" might have the vocal style of the first three tracks but this at least rocks out some. Even the guitar. Gasp! More whistling on "Pick Up If Your There", and harpsichord on the closer, and I like the bass on this one.

It's nice to finally put this one to bed sort to speak. Obviously it intrigued me enough to keep coming back to it so there's that, but they are under Prog-Related for a reason. Cool band.