| Song Islands vol. 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | October 19, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2002-2009, Dub Narcotic Studio | |||
| Genre | Indie folk | |||
| Length | 80:00 | |||
| Label | P.W. Elverum & Sun, ltd. (ELV 022) | |||
| Producer | Phil Elverum | |||
| Mount Eerie chronology | ||||
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Song Islands vol. 2 (Collected Rarities and Singles) is a compilation album by Mount Eerie. It was released on October 19, 2010. It is a sequel to the Microphones album Song Islands .
The recording took place from 2002-2009 in the Dub Narcotic Studio in Olympia, Washington. The album consists of B-sides, rarities and never before released songs from the Microphones and Mount Eerie. Every song on the album was re-mixed and remastered. A 32-page booklet was released alongside the album. [1]
The album incorporates elements of smooth jazz and punk. An official press release described the sound on the album as "Raw poems barely accompanied on acoustic guitar, expanses of wooden percussion, distorted punk instructionals, hundreds of voices singing, an attempt at smooth jazz, the lowest note on a questionable piano in a big empty". [1]
Track 13 features a rendition of "Voice in Headphones" by Elverum's band Singers, who featured on the 2005 album Singers .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Consequence of Sound | C+ [2] |
| Pitchfork | 5.6/10 [3] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | 3/5 [4] |
The album received mixed reviews upon release. Paul Thompson of Pitchfork wrote that "Elverum's always at his best when the songs feel sewn into their surroundings; the songs from Song Islands 2 seem plucked piecemeal from the archives, divorced from the bursts of inspiration that birthed them". [3] Alex Young of Consequence of Sound wrote that "Song Islands Vol. 2 hits incredible highs and lows even the most dedicated fan would question" but conceded that it was "on the whole, a worthy investment of time and thought". [2] Nick Rs of Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that "The songs here, culled from eight years of output, present stylistic contrasts even starker than on any previous Microphones/Mount Eerie release". He gave particular praise to the song "Where Is My Tarp?" writing that it "overshadows practically everything around it". [4]
All tracks are written by Phil Elverum
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Where?" | 01:12 |
| 2. | "Calf in Pasture" | 01:37 |
| 3. | "the Intimacy" | 04:40 |
| 4. | "I Whale" | 02:48 |
| 5. | "O My Heart" | 03:01 |
| 6. | "instrumental" | 02:10 |
| 7. | "Where Is My Tarp?" | 03:56 |
| 8. | "Don't Smoke" | 02:54 |
| 9. | "Get Off the Internet" | 02:11 |
| 10. | "Cooking" | 01:43 |
| 11. | "Give Totally Up" | 02:19 |
| 12. | "Do Not Be Afraid" | 00:51 |
| 13. | "Voice in Headphones (singers)" | 01:54 |
| 14. | "Cold Mountain" | 03:30 |
| 15. | "Cold Mountain's Song #286" | 02:22 |
| 16. | "Heart Lake at Night" | 01:23 |
| 17. | "You Turn Me On" | 03:33 |
| 18. | "A Sentimental Song" | 02:32 |
| 19. | "Mystery Language" | 01:57 |
| 20. | "Waterfalls" | 02:04 |
| 21. | "This Is the Same Ocean" | 00:46 |
| 22. | "In the Rain" | 03:08 |
| 23. | "In Moonlight" | 04:42 |
| 24. | "Thanksgiving" | 02:52 |
| 25. | "instrumental" | 01:30 |
| 26. | "Uncertainty" | 01:33 |
| 27. | "Limp Climbing" | 01:34 |
| 28. | "Grave Robbers" | 01:35 |
| 29. | "Lost Wisdom" | 06:44 |
| 30. | "(wind lyrics)" | 05:14 |
| 31. | "Small House" | 01:32 |
| Total length: | 80:00 | |
Production John Golden – re-mixing and remastering
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.
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 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.
"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.
It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, sometimes shortened to It Was Hot, is the second studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It was released by K Records on September 26, 2000. After Phil Elverum—the frontman, principal songwriter, and producer of the Microphones's albums—had gained a small following with 1999's Don't Wake Me Up, he recorded It Was Hot in Dub Narcotic Studio in Olympia, Washington, between September 1999 and March 2000. The album was recorded on analogue tape; Elverum embraced the medium's technical imperfections. The album was described as indie rock, lo-fi, and indie pop and was inspired by Elverum's visits to the ocean. As a whole, the album centers on the theme of water, while its lyricism is heavily themed on nature. The 11-minute track "The Glow" acts as the album's climax and introduces the concept of the "glow", which was explored in more depth on 2001's The Glow Pt. 2.
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.
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.
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".
Little Bird Flies Into a Big Black Cloud is an album by The Microphones. It was released in 2002 by St. Ives.
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.
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.
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.
Pre-Human Ideas is a compilation album released by Phil Elverum under the name Mount Eerie, on November 12, 2013. The album consists of computerised versions of songs from his 2012 releases Clear Moon and Ocean Roar, plus 2 organ excerpts from the songs "Pale Lights" and "The Place Lives" from Clear Moon and Ocean Roar respectively.
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".