How do you describe a truly incomparable band? Mercury Rev ratchets up the bar with their newest release - “Snowflake Midnight” - and in the process distinguishes themselves as one of the most truly unique artists in today’s lackluster musical landscape. The only way I could possibly describe or compare this CD would be to tell you that if you took equal parts of Porcupine Tree, The Moody Blues, Enigma and Pink Floyd, poured it into a blender on high speed for a minute to a minute and a half, then seasoned it with “Revolution #9″ from The Beatles’ “White Album” - you might have all the right ingredients. Maybe add a pinch of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” for good measure. Ok, now we’re getting close.

This is a truly remarkable band, and they are far from new to the scene - formed in the late 1980’s in Buffalo, New York, the band has been sort of simmering beneath the surface with what can best be described as a form of cinematic psychedelics for quite some time now. And while they have an ever expanding fan base, it’s hard, if not impossible, to imagine any of their music getting mainstream airplay - and thank God for that. No one would be more disillusioned than I if the group was to start churning out radio friendly garbage.

Snowflake Midnight assures there will be none of that. I swear if you close your eyes and listen to this CD you can almost imagine yourself driving about 135 mph through the hills outside of Los Angeles high on something. This CD is so richly aural that with closed eyes it does lead your mind’s imagination to wandering aimlessly. One of the things I like best is the utter lack of predictability of the music. Just when you think you’re in the middle of a beautiful ballad like “People Are So Unpredictable” out of nowhere the drum track kicks in like a sudden thunderstorm and the song is completely transformed.

I’ve been listening to an advance copy of the CD for three days now, and most everything else I normally listen to has fallen by the wayside. For fans of the band who have been anxiously awaiting a follow up to 2005’s “Secret Migration” it’s time to fasten your seat belts - because Snowflake Midnight is going to absolutely blow you away.

And as if all of this wasn’t enough, be sure to keep an eye on the band’s website, because when Snowflake Midnight is released on September 29, a companion piece titled Strange Attractor (11 new songs) will be released as a free MP3 download. Even if Strange Attractor ends up being tracks that didn’t make the final cut for Snowflake Midnight, it will still most likely surpass most other music released this year by anybody else. Having not heard one bit of it, that may be a pretty bold statement - however, after hearing Snowflake Midnight I seriously doubt it.

Mercury Rev - “Senses On Fire”

Available FREE from Mercury Rev Web Site