Mount Eerie

Last updated
Mount Eerie
Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie).jpg
Phil Elverum performing as Mount Eerie in March 2012
Background information
Origin Anacortes, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitars
  • bass
  • piano
  • synth
  • keyboards
  • drums
Years active2003–present
LabelsP.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.
Members Phil Elverum
Website pwelverumandsun.com

Mount Eerie is the musical project of American songwriter and producer Phil Elverum. Elverum (also of The Microphones) 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.

Contents

History

2003–2005: Career beginnings

Elverum at UCLA in May 2004 (shortly after switching from The Microphones to Mount Eerie) Elverum1.jpg
Elverum at UCLA in May 2004 (shortly after switching from The Microphones to Mount Eerie)

Following the release of the Microphones' Mount Eerie album, Elverum announced that he would no longer use the Microphones moniker, opting instead to record under the name Mount Eerie, after the area in Anacortes, Washington called Mount Erie. In an interview with CITR-FM's Discorder in September 2003, Elverum gave his reasons for this change: "Mount Eerie is a new project. The Microphones was completed, or at least at a good stopping point. I did it because I am ready for new things. I am new." [1] Around this time, Elverum also changed the spelling of his own surname (previously, Elvrum). [2]

The first Mount Eerie releases included a limited edition CD of new recordings ( Seven New Songs ), a 12" EP recorded live to acetate with local musicians during an Australian tour ( Mount Eerie Dances with Wolves ), and a live triple album released by Burnt Toast Vinyl in late 2004 (Live in Copenhagen). [3]

Elverum returned to his hometown of Anacortes after spending several years living in Olympia, Washington whilst recording for K Records, and established his own label and imprint, P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. The first official Mount Eerie studio album in Phil's eyes was No Flashlight , released in August 2005. The original pressing featured an extremely large fold-out sleeve with extensive footnotes and explanations. Following pressings of the album feature more simple packaging with the original liner notes and poster absent.

2006–2015: Touring and further releases

Elverum performing in 2008 Phil Elverum, 2008.jpg
Elverum performing in 2008
Elverum live in 2010 Phil Elverum, 2010.jpg
Elverum live in 2010

Elverum has continued to tour and record prolifically in recent years, to considerable critical acclaim. [4] Noteworthy releases have included Mount Eerie pts. 6 & 7 (a hardcover coffee-table book of Elverum's photography, packaged with a 10" record), Lost Wisdom (recorded with Julie Doiron and Frederick Squire), and Wind's Poem (a black metal-influenced album, recorded with Nicholas Krgovich). In 2012, Elverum released two albums, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar. He was also chosen to perform at Jeff Mangum's All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Minehead, England. [5] An admirer of Neutral Milk Hotel, he stated it was an "honor to be chosen." [6] In 2013, Elverum was a part of the Primavera Sound line-up. [7] A new Mount Eerie album entitled Sauna was released on February 2, 2015. [8]

2017–Present: A Crow Looked at Me, Now Only and Lost Wisdom Pt. 2

In January 2017, the song "Real Death" was released from the forthcoming album A Crow Looked at Me . [9] A second single, "Ravens", was released on February 15. [10] The album was written and recorded in 2017 shortly following the death of Geneviève Castrée, Elverum's wife. On March 24, A Crow Looked at Me was released to high critical praise. Exclaim!'s Alex Hudson scored the album a 9 out of 10, calling the record an "emotionally nuanced meditation on death that is both heartbreaking and hopeful."

After touring North America in the summer of 2017, Elverum played songs from A Crow Looked at Me across Europe and Australasia. [11] [12] The second of these shows became (after) , a live recording eventually released in September 2018 and was well received by Pitchfork who noted "the most striking thing about (after) is that, even after so many performances, these songs sound as raw as they did when Elverum first committed them to paper and tape". [13]

On January 2018, the album Now Only was announced along with the release of the album track "Distortion". The album was officially released on March 16, 2018, to positive reviews, with The Atlantic describing the album as a progression from A Crow Looked at Me: "not an experience of total sadness, featuring flashes of irony, hope, and love". [14]

On September 25, 2019, Elverum announced a sequel to his 2008 collaboration with Julie Doiron, Lost Wisdom, entitled Lost Wisdom Pt. 2 . It was released on November 8, 2019. Two singles were released. [15] [16] On January 28, 2020, Elverum announced a North American tour in support of the album. [17] That same week as the announcement Elverum toured through Canada with singer Angel Olsen. [17] The tour was set to take place in April of that year with Julie Doiron accompanying him, however was cancelled and rescheduled to October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] [18] Elverum also announced a show with Angel Olsen at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Bandshell on July 22. [18]

In 2020, Mount Eerie appeared on a charity compilation album entitled The Song Is Coming from Inside the House. All proceeds from the album will go to Groundswell's Rapid Response Fund, a charity intended to help "provide fast funding to grassroots organizations led by women of color, trans people of color, and low-income women and trans people in critical". [19] [20] Elverum was also featured on the 20th anniversary reissue Mirah's debut album, You Think It’s Like This but Really It’s Like This ; performing an "Of Pressure" cover. [21]

In January 2023, Elverum released "Huge Fire," a new song that appeared on the compilation album Colors to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Japanese label 7e.p. The track was written and recorded in the month prior to its release. The song marks his first original release since 2020's Microphones in 2020 and his first release under the Mount Eerie moniker since 2019. [22]

Artistry

Elverum's music under the Mount Eerie moniker expresses a close relationship to nature and the Pacific Northwest, in particular the minute details. [23] [24] Early Mount Eerie albums often discussed how "the distinction between wild and not wild is an illusion". [25] In a 2014 interview, Elverum discussed how his choice for moniker coming from a mountain in Anacortes was a way of infusing a sense of regional connection between the music and the place. [26]

His lyrical matter has been seen by some to be more introspective than his work before the name change. [26] Brady Baker of Spectrum Culture called Mount Eerie "a solid foundation for an ever-expanding lyrical labyrinth that centers on his introspective philosophy." [27] Eric Hill of Exclaim! believed the opposite, writing that Elverum's work under the Mount Eerie title is more "universal and, at times, hermetic." [24]

Elverum also believed that the songs under Mount Eerie were more universal describing them as "this one long chain, about the idea of singing from the point of view of this dark looming mountain shape, while Microphones songs, historically, have been more personally narrative, maybe more human." [28] After the death of Elverum's wife, Geneviève Castrée, in 2016 his lyrics became more direct and plainspoken. [29]

Musically, Elverum has experimented with "black metal, lo-fi krautrock, fuzzy post-rock textures and Auto-Tune experimentation". [30] My Bloody Valentine, George Gurdjieff and black metal have all been cited by Elverum as influences on the project. [31]

Reception

Kerrang! included Mount Eerie on their list of 10 non-metal artists enjoyed by metal fans. [32]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs and other albums

Singles

Guest appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Microphones</span> American indie rock band

The Microphones were an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental project 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Doiron</span> Musical artist

Julie Elaine Doiron is a Canadian singer-songwriter of Acadian heritage. She has been the bass guitarist and co-vocalist for the Canadian indie rock band Eric's Trip since its formation in 1990. She has released ten solo albums, beginning with 1996's Broken Girl, and is also the lead singer for the band Julie and the Wrong Guys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Elverum</span> American musician (born 1978)

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".

<i>The Glow Pt. 2</i> 2001 studio album by the Microphones

The Glow Pt. 2 is the third studio album by American indie folk and indie rock project 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.

<i>"No Flashlight": Songs of the Fulfilled Night</i> 2005 studio album by Mount Eerie

"No Flashlight": Songs of the Fulfilled Night is the first studio album released by the band Mount Eerie. It was released on the 9th May 2005 and features appearances by Geneviève Castrée and Jason Wall.

<i>Mount Eerie</i> (album) 2003 folk album by the Microphones

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.

<i>Dont Wake Me Up</i> (album) 1999 studio album by the Microphones

Don't Wake Me Up is the debut studio album by American musical project the Microphones. It was released by K Records on August 24, 1999, and reissued on vinyl via P.W. Elverum & Sun on April 16, 2013. The album was recorded between April 25, 1998, and March 1, 1999, in studios in Olympia and Anacortes, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geneviève Castrée</span> Canadian musician and cartoonist

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.

<i>Seven New Songs of "Mount Eerie"</i> 2004 EP by Mount Eerie

Seven New Songs of "Mount Eerie" is the debut EP by Mount Eerie, released on June 1, 2004.

<i>Lost Wisdom</i> 2008 studio album by Mount Eerie

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.

<i>Dawn</i> (Mount Eerie album) 2008 studio album by Mount Eerie

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.

<i>Black Wooden Ceiling Opening</i> 2008 EP by Mount Eerie

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".

<i>Winds Poem</i> 2009 studio album by Mount Eerie

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."

<i>Clear Moon</i> 2012 studio album by Mount Eerie

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.

<i>Sauna</i> (Mount Eerie album)

Sauna is the seventh full-length album by Mount Eerie. It was released on February 3, 2015.

<i>A Crow Looked at Me</i> 2017 studio album by Mount Eerie

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.

<i>Now Only</i> 9th Mount Eerie Album

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.

<i>After</i> (Mount Eerie album) 2018 live album by Mount Eerie

After (stylized as (after)) is a live album by Mount Eerie, released in 2018. The album captures a live performance of songs from A Crow Looked at Me and Now Only recorded at the 2017 Le Guess Who? festival in the Netherlands.

<i>Lost Wisdom pt. 2</i> 2019 studio album by Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Microphones discography</span>

The Microphones were an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental band, founded and fronted by Phil Elverum. The band has released 5 studio albums, 13 miscellaneous albums, 3 extended plays, and 8 singles. Elverum began the Microphones initially as a solo project, releasing cassette demos of tests and experiments. Between 1996 and 1998, Elverum released four demos, mostly on Bret Lunsford's label Knw-Yr-Own. The CD Tests, released in June 1998, was a compilation album comprising tracks from previous cassettes. The same year, the band released the 7" single "Bass Drum Dream". The band's first studio album, Don't Wake Me Up, was released on K Records in August 1999 and gave the band a small following. Two more 7-inches were released in 1999: "Feedback " and "Moon Moon".

References

  1. ↑ Discorder.ca – The Microphones Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "Microphones - Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Gormley, Ian (November 5, 2018). "Microphones, Mount Eerie and Melancholy: The Career of Phil Elverum". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Mount Eerie". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "ATP curated by Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) - All Tomorrow's Parties". All Tomorrow's Parties. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Doran, John (February 15, 2012). "What It Means To Me To Play Jeff Mangum's ATP". The Quietus . Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  7. ↑ Murray, Robin (January 24, 2013). "First Names For Primavera Sound 2013". Clash . Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  8. ↑ Claymore, Gabrielle Tully (13 November 2014). "Mount Eerie Sauna Details". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  9. ↑ ""Real Death" by Mount Eerie Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  10. ↑ Gaca, Anna (2017-02-15). "New Music: Mount Eerie – "Ravens"". Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
  11. ↑ Hann, Michael (2017-11-14). "Mount Eerie review – truth defeats beauty on stark songs of death". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  12. ↑ Stephens, Murdoch (2018-01-15). "How to listen to Mount Eerie, the saddest musician in the world". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  13. ↑ Reese, Nathan (October 25, 2019). "Mount Eerie(after)". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ Kornhaber, Spencer (2018-03-14). "Phil Elverum Doesn't Want to Be the 'Saddest Musician on Earth'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  15. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (September 25, 2019). "Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron Announce New Album Lost Wisdom pt. 2, Share Song: Listen". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  16. ↑ Bloom, Maddison (October 25, 2019). "Listen to Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron's New Song "Belief pt. 2"". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 Torres, Eric (January 28, 2020). "Mount Eerie Announces April Tour". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  18. 1 2 Bloom, Madison (April 19, 2020). "Mount Eerie Announces Rescheduled Tour Dates". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  19. ↑ "Rapid Response Fund". Groundswell Fund. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  20. ↑ Ismael Ruiz, Matthew (April 30, 2020). "Mount Eerie, Downtown Boys, More Featured on New COVID-19 Benefit Album: Listen". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  21. ↑ Minsker, Evan (June 18, 2020). "Listen to Mount Eerie Cover Mirah's "Of Pressure"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  22. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (January 2, 2023). "Mount Eerie Shares New Song "Huge Fire": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  23. ↑ Litowitz, Drew (2012-05-23). "Album Review: Mount Eerie - Clear Moon". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  24. 1 2 Hill, Eric (March 27, 2017). "An Essential Guide to Mount Eerie, the Microphones and the World of Phil Elverum". Exclaim . Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  25. ↑ Gotrich, Lars (August 6, 2020). "Phil Elverum Returns To A Refuge As The Microphones". NPR . Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  26. 1 2 Porter, Christa; Porter, Richard (March 19, 2018). "An Interview With Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie". Live in Everett. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  27. ↑ Baker, Brady (2009-09-13). "Interview: Phil Elverum". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  28. ↑ Howe, Brian (May 13, 2008). "Microphones". Pitchfork . Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  29. ↑ Moreland, Quinn (August 7, 2020). "The Microphones: Microphones in 2020". Pitchfork . Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  30. ↑ Moores, JR (March 20, 2017). "Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Interview & chroniques : Mount Eerie". Paperblog (in French). December 12, 2012. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  32. ↑ Zorgdrager, Bradley (October 20, 2019). "10 Non-Metal Artists That Metalheads Love". Kerrang! . Retrieved 2020-08-13.
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