In the middle of a song illuminated by Rev-like dreamy wonder and aural kaleidoscopia, “Butterfly’s Wing” suddenly dissipates, floating across like some distant space-age symphony. Children laugh. The high, plaintive cries of a grown-up overlap overhead, spreading the celestial mood. You imagine that this could be the sound of a dream…

Which is another way of saying, Mercury Rev are back, that rare essence intact, but tilted on its axis. “Butterfly’s Wing” is track two on their new album, Snowflake Midnight, which is as thrilling as their other milestone releases, specifically their 1992 sprawling avant-psych Dada-rock debut Yerself Is Steam, and their 1998 opus Deserter’s Songs, which signalled their rebirth as purveyors of a cosmic brand of the popular American songbook. Snowflake Midnight, given its inject of both vintage and present-day electronics, is less a rebirth than a reboot; but it sounds like a brand new Mercury Rev. Few bands can reinvent themselves even the once, but Snowflake Midnight is the sound of lightening striking again..

That’s Mercury Rev for you. As exquisite and complex as a snowflake, as mysterious and magical as midnight. See you on the other side.