Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight

Even though the seventh studio album by Mercury Rev called Snowflake Midnight does not shine as much as the first four albums, it is nonetheless a significant improvement over dull and toothless Secret Migration (2005). I was afraid of hearing signs of serious stagnation, but the new album sounds surprisingly well. It's been quite a while since Rev last retooled their sound. Here Rev relies on electronics. While such move of combining electronica with rock is not really innovative and some of the synth sounds border slightly on new-age, the result is still quite potent. Rev hasn't sounded this vital or bold for ages. There is less orchestral instrumentation on this album and Jonathan Donahue's voice sounds more natural, relying less on cloying falsetto and occasionally even going lower in terms of notes. Occasionally the psychedelic wall of sound rears its head, hinting a bit at the early Rev, but it's more polished and more reminiscent of the sonic language as heard on Blonde Redhead's 23. Standout track "Senses on Fire" is a good example of a polished noise pop driven by motorik krautrock pulse. Not a classic album, but nonetheless the boldest and most exploratory since the underrated See You On the Other Side.