Mercury Rev: A fictitious Russian ballet dancer; a spike in temperature; a revved-up vehicle.

You don’t have to ask about the inspiration for the group’s name because the peculiar personalities that make up this New York-based, 5-men outfit are explanation enough. Steadily powered by Jonathan Donahue, Grasshopper (it’s an alias), Jeff Mercel and Dave Fridmann, the band has managed to daze and fascinate listeners since the late 80s with hits such as classic ‘Chasing a Bee” and pretty recent “The Dark is Rising”.

So with the dream-pop band scheduled to play for the first (and let’s face it, probably the last) time as a ticketed pre-festival opening act for Baybeats 2007, UrbanWire wants to give you a heads-up on what to expect from these dreamy oldies come Aug 2.

Before its chequered history of quirks and flukes, the band began modestly, the original members meeting under odd circumstances. Ex-member flutist Suzanne Thorpe met the band while acting as a dead body in an experimental film. How the others met is a lot foggier, but trust me, you’re probably not missing anything.

According to their biography on their official website, they fooled around with their first recordings, simply throwing together a bunch of things to create soundtracks for their friends’ experimental films. A few additions completed the chaos in the form of David Baker and Jimy Chambers.

They rarely rehearsed, but somehow got together and came up with a demo which got them signed and releasing a critically-acclaimed debut record, Yerself Is Steam which featured mangled art-pop adventures, “Chasing a Bee” and “Coney Island Cyclone” in 1999. A few months later, the song “Car Wash Hair” was released and Mercury Rev’s explosive fashion was cemented.

They had unusual habits, these modern pranksters. Ex-Vocalist Baker would often leave the stage mid-song just to get a drink or to hang out with the kids in the crowd. Current vocalist, Donahue once used a spoon in hopes of prying out Grasshopper’s eye aboard an aeroplane. They were subsequently banned from that particular airline. And when Sony Music signed the band and gave them some money in advance, Dave spent all of it on a Bermuda holiday package for his darling Mum. Yes, they were rather eccentric. Still, they managed to churn out another record, squelching all rumours of disbanding.

With Boces, their fusion of unrestrained noise and filmy pop was lapped up, sending the album to the UK Top 50 and Baker walking out, citing personal and the ever-diplomatic “musical differences”.

See You On The Other Side was a testament to the transition. Critics went wild over the eclectic melodies of “Everlasting Arm” and “Racing the Tide”, not noticing that the band was plagued by personal problems and were desperately looking for some meaning to their lives.

They didn’t find it, so Donahue and Grasshopper moved to New York and took on 2 new members, Adam Snyder and Jeff Mercel, while Thorpe and Chambers left.

Reinventing themselves with earnest compositions and elaborate orchestration, the new foursome released Deserter’s Songs. It would be a rebirth, an experimental symphony, a whimsical romance.

Their next album in 2001, All is Dream thrust them into heady musical realms with songs like “The Dark is Rising,” and “Tides of the Moon”. 4 years later, they released The Secret Migration, a dreamy fable, laced with intrigue and coquetry.

Perhaps their passion fueled their work or maybe their oddities and eccentricity made their music. Either way, they’ve done the impossible. Mercury Rev has struck the perfect balance between subtlety and absurdity and emerged seeming… curiously sane.

Mercury Rev
Date: 2 Aug
Time: 8 pm
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Prices: $78 (VIP Box Seat), $58 (Box B-G), $20 (Restricted View)
For bookings and more information log on to www.sistic.com.sg