The Needle Drop

phil elverum

Mount Eerie - "Distortion"

New TrackstheneedledropComment

Mount Eerie has shared the lengthy lead single from his forthcoming album, Now Only. "Distortion" lives up to its title right out of the gate and suggests that this will perhaps be the Ocean Roar to A Crow Looked at Me's Clear Moon. The songwriting is also sounding more Kozelek-inspired than ever, down to the details about a one-night stand Phil had many years ago. Exciting to hear him further develop this candid approach to lyricism.

Now Only drops March 16 via P.W. Elverum & Sun.

Mount Eerie - "Lone Bell"

New Trackstheneedledrop1 Comment

Check out a reworked version of "Lone Bell" by experimental folk musician Phil Elverum, a.k.a Mount Eerie. This copiously auto-tuned redux will be featured on Elverum's upcoming project, Pre-Human Ideas, a collection of 12 songs taken from his two 2012 efforts, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar; all of which will feature new lyrics and will be slathered in auto-tuned. He explains the concept as "almost like new songs layered over the old ones, expanding and clarifying the ideas."

Pre-Human Ideas is due out November 12 via his P.W. Elverum & Sun label. A gentle reminder that Clear Moon was pretty swell:

Mount Eerie- "I Walked Home Beholding"

New TracksadminComment

Mount Eerie's Phil Elverum drops another track from what's going to be his second full-length album this year, Ocean Roar. It's a slow, serene ballad featuring the kind of atmospheric synths that were so prevalent on this albums predecessor, Clear Moon.

Some of Phil's lyrics leave me scratching my head a bit, too, but in a good way. The reference to leaving the studio at night toward the beginning of the track was a bit surprising. For Phil to be so blatantly self-referential and mention a convenience of modern living--as opposed to lakes, trees, mountains, and other nature-related topics--is interestingly out of character.

Maybe I'm making more out of it than it needs to be, but it's surprising to hear Phil talk about himself outside of the surreal and Earthy world he usually builds for himself in his words. Maybe this track is working to blur the lines between these real and imagined worlds Phil exists within both mentally and physically. Afterall, the inspiration for one comes from the other.

Yeah, I'm probably reading too much into it. Still a pretty track, though.

Mount Eerie- "Ocean Roar"

New Trackschriscap2 Comments

After the quiet, contemplative Clear Moon dropped in May, I almost immediately started yearning for the more aggressive side of Mount Eerie that albums like 2008's Wind's Poem had displayed. Thankfully, the new Mount Eerie album Ocean Roar delivers just that. The title track is the first song to officially drop from Mount Eerie's second album this year, and although it's not as raw or abrasive as some of the album's gruffest material, it hints at a less smoothed out side of Phil Elverum than Clear Moon ever approached. The brief song features a head-tripping mix of cymbals, guitars, and gorgeous harmonized vocals from Elverum and a group of female singers. Like many of the best Mount Eerie/Microphones songs, "Ocean Roar" has a lot more to offer listeners than its first play through might suggest.

Ocean Roar will be officially released on September 4th on Elverum's own label.

Mount Eerie- "Pale Lights"

New Tracksadmin2 Comments

Mount Eerie's last album, Clear Moon, definitely took drone and repetition to the forefront for the longtime musical project of singer-songwriter Phil Elverum.

Phil is now gearing up to release his second album of 2012, Ocean Roar, and "Pale Lights" is the first song to drop from it. The track still makes use of the repetitive direction Moon did, but with a much more ferocious sound.

The track is strangely structured, too. It does through phases of loud and soft with instrumentation gradually being faded in and out of a the mix as the 10-minute song progresses. Fades aren't exactly my favorite studio trick, but they're used interestingly here, in my opinion.

Once again, Mount Eerie is a shining beacon of light for all things obtuse. Look for this album on September on P.W. Elverum & Sun.