Mercury Rev

For decades, Mercury Rev have balanced noisy psychedelia and sprawling orchestral majesty on revered records that cemented their legacy as architects of the alt-rock golden age. Formed in 1989 at the University at Buffalo, the band initially came together to soundtrack its members’ student films. Mercury Rev's original lineup included singer David Baker, guitarist/singer Jonathan Donahue, guitarist/clarinettist Sean “Grasshopper” Mackowiak, and bassist Dave Fridmann—before the latter became renowned for his subsequent production work with bands such as The Flaming Lips, MGMT and Sleater-Kinney. The group's explosive debut album, Yerself Is Steam (1991), was a rowdy dose of shoegaze-inflected rock that generated buzz in the UK, but Baker would depart following the release of anarchic, avant-grunge LP Boces, two years later. Their follow-up, See You On the Other Side, pivoted toward a more melodic sound, while also elevating Donahue to frontman status before the band fully embraced baroque string arrangements and playful vocals on 1998's commercially successful opus Deserter's Songs. Cuts like “Holes” and “Goddess on a Hiway” have become staples of Mercury Rev's repertoire, and the band have toured extensively since. With 2021's Bobbie Gentry's the Delta Sweete Revisited, the band found fresh inspiration in the underrated ‘60s classic, reimagining twangy Southern soul through their own ornate prism.