Always on the coattails of (and suffering constant comparisons to) associates the Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev have, in their own right, creatively produced cerebral, sometimes darkly atmospheric Indie Rock. Relying on orchestrations of guitars, clarinets, drums, and Jonathan Donohue's breathy, Dylan-inspired melodic rambling -- Mercury Rev stretch spatial arrangements into hyper-melodic, Neo-Psychedelic free-form. Their most recent CD Deserter's Songs demonstrates a truly collaborative effort; the meandering and shots in the air finally have found their destinations. A decidedly more linear path, Deserter's Songs is the product of a protracted battle, a sigh of relief.