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Avg: 4.0 (68 ratings)
- Date Released: January 21, 2003
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: K Records / SC Distribution
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We Say...
Despite opening with the same heart-thuds and shuddering bell-blows that closed its predecessor, The Glow Pt. 2, Mount Erie marks a significant stylistic break for lone Microphone Phil Elvrum: abstract and epic, Mount Erie eschews typical doe-eyed indie introspection to tackle larger notions of life, death and existential purpose.
A bizarre concept album in five sprawling parts, Mount Erie traces the path of a narrator (Elvrum) driven by his overwhelming fear of death to scale a colossal peak (Mount Erie). Elvrum employs a variety of lo-fi tricks along the way, each carefully selected to suit his narrative needs: "Solar System" shifts gracefully from brash, fuzz-laden assault to gentle acoustic lament (complete with soft, puppy-dog vocals), while 17-minute opener "The Sun" somersaults through a barrage of sonic choices, ranging from distortion-drenched guitar to Greek chorus nay-saying.
Based on the real-life peak of the same name (which towers over Elvrum's childhood home of Fidalgo Island, Washington), and populated by the voices of Elvrum's friends (K Records founder Calvin Johnson tellingly voices the Universe), Mount Erie is an intensely personal — if occasionally tedious — spiritual statement. Still, if you're willing to breathe deep and indulge the gravity of Elvrum's quest, the results can be oddly devastating. -
They Say...
The Microphones' most demanding album, Mount Eerie, isn't exactly the follow-up to The Glow, Pt. 2 that one might expect. Instead of offering more expansive, kaleidoscopic pop, Phil Elvrum presents a concept album about life, death, and identity that spans five epic songs. Microphones fans are used to Elvrum's artistic twists, but this album is a hairpin turn, moving into much more abstract territory than any of his previous work. The 17-minute opening track "The Sun" ( "In which the story begins, where you are born and run away from death up the mountain in fear and are watched by a ball of fire," the liner notes explain) is a perfect example. It begins with heartbeats and the heavy, tolling bells that closed The Glow, Pt. 2, and moves to layered, galloping drums and horns that sound like a race or a hunting party, which are silenced abruptly by a ghostly choir, a hesitant guitar, and Elvrum's desolate, vulnerable vocals before an explosion of distortion finishes the track. It's a hypnotic, portentous beginning, introducing the suspense and search for spirituality that dominate Mount Eerie. The album is concerned with death in all of its forms -- the end of a day, of a life -- not in a morbid way, but as a necessary transition or as the answer to a question (which, of course, only provokes more questions). When death finally comes on the title track, in the form of Little Wings' Kyle Field, it's as funny as it is unsettling: "I'll press you to the ground / You'll fade from where you're found." Likewise, the accompanying vultures -- voiced by Karl Blau -- are so cartoonishly morose that they add little more than (admittedly dark) humor to leaven the atmosphere. Vocal cameos by friends and collaborators such as Mirah, Khaela Maricich, Dennis Driscoll, Adam Forkner, and Calvin Johnson (wittily cast as the voice of the Universe) make Mount Eerie feel more like a school pageant than a concept album; this childlike wonder gives the album's sense of discovery even more impact and poignancy. "Childlike" doesn't equal simplistic, however -- Mount Eerie is musically and lyrically complex within its naive viewpoint. The album's quietest and loudest moments feature subtle shifts that add to its surreal soundscapes; for example, the gusts of static that buffet the album recall not only hissing wind, but rain, snakes, and insects as well. This stream-of-consciousness approach extends to the album's songwriting as well, particularly on "Solar System," where the setting sun reminds Elvrum of a faraway girl juggling a soccer ball like a planet. Even more personal and overflowing with detail than the Microphones' other work, Mount Eerie is a truly stunning album, managing to be deeply beautiful and unnerving, as well as deeply thoughtful, without ever seeming pretentious or heavy-handed. While The Glow, Pt. 2 might still be the most perfect distillation of Elvrum's style to date, at the very least Mount Eerie proves that his ambitions and his ability to express them are growing at an exciting rate.
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| 01. |  |
The Sun |
17:11 |
|
| 02. | |
Solar System |
3:38 |
|
| 03. | |
Universe |
6:41 |
|
| 04. | |
Mt. Eerie |
8:58 |
|
| 05. | |
Universe (2) |
4:23 |
|
05 Total Tracks, 40:51 Total Length
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Credits
- Calvin Johnson - Interviewer // Karl Blau - Bird Calls // Dennis Driscoll - Vocals // The Microphones - Main Performer // Phil Elvrum - Vocals // Phil Elvrum - Multi Instruments // Phil Elvrum - Alphorn // Kyle Field - Vocals // Kyle Field - Logo Art // Adam Forkner - Trumpet // Adam Forkner - Vocals // Adam Forkner - Cowbell // Anna Oxygen - Voices // Anna Oxygen - Spoken Word // Jenn Kliese - Spoken Word // Amber Bell - Vocals
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