Search - Grasshopper & Golden Crickets :: Orbit of Eternal Grace

Grasshopper holds his own.

Erik Blood | Seattle, WA United States | 09/02/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I say this knowing that basically every member of Mercury Rev is pressent on this album in some respect. Without making this entire review a comment on how this sounds like Mercury Rev, it does mix the chaotic noise of Yerself Is Steem and the focused beauty of See You On the Other Side.There is some interesting and unexpected use of electronics on this album, such as "Univac Bug Track" which features a lo-fi jungle beat along with the distant plucks of a string section looped, sometimes coming close to videogame soundtrack territory if it weren't so gorgeously muddy. The first track, "Silver Balloons" also has a familiar breakbeat and some nice Spacemen 3 styled guitars and vocals.Still, with all of the experimentation he can muster up, the best tracks are the drugged out ballads (The Ballad of the One Eyed Angelfish, NY Avenue Playground) which sit nicely amongst the freakishly diverse structure of The Orbit of Eternal Grace."