Boces

Boces
Studio album by
Mercury Rev
ReleasedJune 1, 1993 (1993-06-01)
Recorded1992–1993
GenresNeo-psychedelia, noise pop
Length53:55
LabelsBeggars Banquet (UK)
Columbia (US)
ProducerMercury Rev
Mercury Rev chronology
Yerself Is Steam
(1991)		 Boces
(1993)		 See You on the Other Side
(1995)

Boces is the second album by American indie rock band Mercury Rev, released on June 1, 1993. It was their final album with original frontman David Baker, who was asked to leave shortly after the supporting tour concluded. The title is derived from the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) system of vocational schools in New York.

During a performance at Lollapalooza on the supporting tour, the band were forced off the stage for playing too loud.

Music

Boces contains music that has been characterized as "dreaming musing[s]" as well as "thrashy freakouts." Some of the material has been categorized as jazz-pop. The album's instrumentation additionally incorporates flutes, harps, brass and choir.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star
Entertainment WeeklyB+
NME8/10
QStarStarStar
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStar
Select4/5
Uncut8/10

Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that "With Boces, Mercury Rev took everything that made Yerself Is Steam such an impressive debut and made their second album even more so...Mercury Rev never released another album as joyfully, unselfconsciously creative as Boces; after chief weirdo David Baker departed, the band pursued other fascinating directions, but this album remains one of the highest points of its career."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mercury Rev according to the liner notes; actual writing credits from the ASCAP Repertory are listed below.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Meth of a Rockette's Kick"David Baker, Jimy Chambers, Jonathan Donahue, Dave Fridmann, Sean Mackowiak, Suzanne Thorpe10:29
2."Trickle Down"Baker, Chambers, Donahue, Fridmann, Mackowiak, Thorpe5:04
3."Bronx Cheer"Baker, Donahue, Fridmann2:49
4."Boys Peel Out"Baker, Donahue, Fridmann, Mackowiak4:28
5."Downs Are Feminine Balloons"Baker, Donahue, Fridmann, Mackowiak, Thorpe6:29
6."Something for Joey"Baker, Chambers, Fridmann, Mackowiak, Thorpe4:06
7."Snorry Mouth"Baker, Chambers, Donahue10:55
8."Hi-Speed Boats"Baker, Fridmann, Mackowiak4:00
9."Continuous Drunks and Blunders"Baker, Donahue, Fridmann, Mackowiak0:48
10."Girlfren"Baker, Chambers, Donahue, Fridmann, Mackowiak, Thorpe4:41

Personnel

Mercury Rev
Additional musicians

References

  1. 1 2 Jonathan Donahue 'The Mercury Rev Story' Interview by Iain McNay, retrieved March 18, 2023
  2. ↑ "Jonathan Donahue (mercury Rev)". Archived from the original on September 20, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Boces – Mercury Rev". AllMusic. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ Farber, Jim (July 9, 1993). "Mercury Rev: Boces (Columbia)". Entertainment Weekly. No. 178. p. 50. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  5. ↑ Cameron, Keith (May 29, 1993). "These Schoolish Things". NME. p. 32.
  6. ↑ Snow, Mat (July 1993). "Mercury Rev: Boces". Q. No. 82. p. 98.
  7. ↑ Kot, Greg (2004). "Mercury Rev". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 538. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ↑ Perry, Andrew (July 1993). "Mercury Rev: Boces / Urge Overkill: Saturation". Select. No. 37. p. 93.
  9. ↑ Hermes, Will (October 2024). "Magnum Opus". Uncut. No. 330. p. 89.
  10. ↑ "ACE Repertory". ASCAP. Retrieved September 7, 2024.