For being a solo artist Phil Elverum (born Phil Elvrum) sure likes his pseudonyms.  I first discovered Elverum at the tail end of his run as The Microphones.  I kept noticing The Glow Part 2 on everyone’s top ten lists of 2001, and decided to give it a spin.  The album is almost uncomfortably candid.  It sounds like Elverum recorded the LP in his room, and stood way to close to the mic.  However, this blend of adolescent awkwardness with complex instrumentation is what makes it a Phil Elverum recording.

Another defining trait of The Microphones, now Mount Eerie, is the warm analog tones in each recording.  His reel to reel recording process is essential to the success of Lost Wisdom’s delivery (and a valid argument against digital recording).  For this most recent release, Elverum recruited Julie Doiron to join him on vocals and the result is a stripped down duet with each vocal snugly intertwining with the other. Like the eerily burning barn on the album art, the vocals deliver a flat, dark storytelling experience.

[mp3] Mount Eerie - Lost Wisdom

Tags: Mount Eerie, The Microphones

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 am and is filed under mp3, review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.