| Black Wooden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | December 14, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | Indie folk | |||
| Length | 21:46 | |||
| Label | Southern Records | |||
| Producer | Phil Elverum | |||
| Mount Eerie chronology | ||||
| ||||
Black Wooden is a compilation EP by Mount Eerie, the musical project of musician Phil Elverum. It was released on December 14, 2009. It is the first and only record by Elverum to be released under the Latitudes Series by Southern Records.
The EP was recorded at Southern Studios in London, England while Elverum was touring the UK in the summer of 2007, using a borrowed guitar alongside Southern Records engineer Harvey Birrell. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10 [1] |
| Spectrum Culture | 3.5/5.0 [3] |
| Beats Per Minute | 72% [4] |
Upon release, the EP received a generally positive reception. Matthew Solarski of Pitchfork wrote that "if you're but an aspiring convert who's reluctant to make a huge commitment, as a welcome mat to the realm of Mount Eerie, you could do much worse". [1]
Luke Winkle of Spectrum Culture while enjoying the EP found it at times frustrating or "astoundingly boring" but ultimately said that "He’s at his best when keeping it simple, and when the songs do drift into hollow wankery ("Marriage"), he’s quick to refocus on the coniferous textures that make the music worth listening to in the first place". [3]
Chase McMullen of Beats Per Minute said that the EP was a "pretty simplistic listen. While strong, the EP doesn't really boast one of those epiphanous Elverum moments. It's fine, but easily lost amongst the vast catalog the man already offers". [4]
All tracks are written by Phil Elverum.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black Wooden" | 6:02 |
| 2. | "The Bottomless Pit" | 2:13 |
| 3. | "If We Knew" | 2:01 |
| 4. | "Appetite" | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Marriage" | 5:46 |
| 6. | "Mount Eerie Revealed" | 2:22 |
| Total length: | 21:46 | |
The Microphones are an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental band from Olympia, Washington. The project was founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with a short reunion following in 2007 and revivals in 2019 and 2020. Across every iteration of The Microphones, it has been fronted by Phil Elverum. Elverum is the principal songwriter and producer behind the band's albums, but he has also collaborated with other local musicians on his other recordings and tours. Many of Elverum's recordings from the project's initial period were released by the label K Records.
Mount Eerie is the musical project of American songwriter and producer Phil Elverum. Elverum is the principal member of the band, but has collaborated with many other musicians on his records and in live performances. Most of Mount Eerie's releases have been issued on Elverum's label P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd., and feature highly detailed packaging with his own artwork.
Philip Whitman Elverum is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist, best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie. Based in Anacortes, Washington, in the mid-2000s he began to spell his surname Elvrum as "Elverum".
The Glow Pt. 2 is the third studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It was released on September 11, 2001, through K Records and later through P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. Recording was done on analog equipment at Dub Narcotic, Olympia, Washington, from May 2000 to March 2001. The album takes influences from numerous music genres such as black metal, ambient and avant-garde, as well as non-musical sources like the American drama television show Twin Peaks and primary member Phil Elverum's relationship to Khaela Maricich. Elverum was responsible for the album's production in its entirety.
Mount Eerie is the fourth studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones, released by K Records on January 21, 2003. The album is named after the mountain Mount Erie near Anacortes, Washington, which is the hometown of Phil Elverum, the band's frontman.The album received generally positive reviews from critics, including accolades such as Pitchfork's "Best New Music" title and inclusion on Treblezine's list of "essential" psychedelic folk albums.
Geneviève Elverum, also known as Geneviève Castrée, was a Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and musician from Quebec. An early admirer of comics, she began creating them at a young age. L'Oie de Cravan published her first book, Lait Frappé, in 2000. By 2004 she had released three more books—Die Fabrik, Roulatheque Roulatheque Nicolore and Pamplemoussi. The latter is considered her artistic breakthrough.
Seven New Songs of "Mount Eerie" is the debut EP by Mount Eerie. It was released on June 1, 2004
Singers is a compilation album by Phil Elverum. The album is often credited to Elverum's musical project Mount Eerie, although the sleevenotes offer the following declaration: "This new band called "Singers" is born. This is the first album by Singers." The album features songs performed with a large group of singers. The album was released on September 6, 2005.
Mount Eerie Dances with Wolves, also known as Two New Songs of Mount Eerie, is an EP by Mount Eerie. It was released in Australia as Two New Songs in 2004 and released in the United States as Dances with Wolves in 2005.
Mount Eerie pts. 6 & 7 is an EP released by Mount Eerie. This release acts as an extension to 2003's Mount Eerie, the fourth studio album by Phil Elverum's previous band The Microphones. It was released on a 10" picture disc packaged in a 132-page hardcover artbook of photography taken by Elverum.
Lost Wisdom is the second studio album by Mount Eerie, with Canadian musicians Julie Doiron and Frederick Squire. It was released on October 7, 2008 on P. W. Elverum & Sun, less than a month before Elverum's next album under the Mount Eerie name, Dawn, was released, which featured songs from this album. A follow-up album, Lost Wisdom pt. 2, was released in 2019, without Frederick Squire.
Dawn, also known as Dawn: Winter Journal, is the third full-length album by Mount Eerie. It was officially released November 1, 2008 on P. W. Elverum & Sun.
Black Wooden Ceiling Opening is an EP released by Mount Eerie. It was released on March 4, 2008. The EP was described by singer Phil Elverum as "black metal using natural materials".
Wind's Poem is the fourth full-length album by Mount Eerie, released on July 14, 2009. Several of the tracks are inspired by black metal, and showcases Phil Elverum's "relatively newfound affinity for Xasthur and other lynchpins of the unholy genre."
Clear Moon is the fifth studio album by Mount Eerie, a solo project by American musician Phil Elverum. It was released May 22, 2012 on Elverum's own label P.W. Elverum & Sun. The album was written and produced entirely by Elverum, who recorded it at his studio the Unknown.
Sauna is the seventh full-length album by Mount Eerie. It was released on February 3, 2015.
A Crow Looked at Me is the eighth studio album by Mount Eerie, a solo project of the American musician Phil Elverum. Released in 2017, it was composed in the aftermath of his 35-year-old wife Geneviève Castrée's diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in 2015, and her death in July 2016. Elverum wrote and recorded the songs over a six-week period in the room where she died, mostly using her instruments. His sparse lyrics and minimalistic musical accompaniment drew influence from a broad range of artists, including the poet Gary Snyder, author Karl Ove Knausgård and songwriter Julie Doiron.
Now Only is the ninth studio album by Mount Eerie, the solo project of American musician Phil Elverum. It was released on March 16, 2018, on Elverum's record label P.W. Elverum & Sun. Like the preceding Mount Eerie album A Crow Looked at Me, Now Only is a concept album in the aftermath of the death of Elverum's wife, the cartoonist and musician Geneviève Castrée; Elverum described it as the second part of that album. The album was entirely written and produced by Elverum, and recorded in the room in which Castrée died.
Lost Wisdom pt. 2 is the second collaborative studio album by Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron. It was released on November 8, 2019. Like the previous two Mount Eerie albums it concerns the death of Geneviève Castrée, the first wife of Mount Eerie's principal member Phil Elverum, as well as his recent divorce from Michelle Williams. The album is a sequel to the 2008 collaborative album Lost Wisdom.
Microphones in 2020 is the fifth studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It is the Microphones' first release in 17 years, following 2003's Mount Eerie. It was released on August 7, 2020, on frontman Phil Elverum's record label P.W. Elverum & Sun.