White Stag (album)

Last updated

White Stag
White Stag, Mount Eerie.jpg
Live album by
Mount Eerie
ReleasedMay 2, 2009
Recorded White Stag Building, Portland, Oregon
Genre Indie Folk
Length19:18
Label P.W. Elverum & Sun.
(ELV 021)
Producer Phil Elverum
Mount Eerie chronology
Dawn
(2008)
White Stag
(2009)
Wind's Poem
(2009)
Alternative Album Cover
Mount Eerie, White Stag, Alternative Album Cover.jpg
Zoomed in version of the poster that came with the album.

White Stag is an album released by Phil Elverum under the name Mount Eerie, on May 2, 2009. The album centers around the building of the same name where Eleverum recorded the album and briefly lived. [1]

Contents

Recording and release

Writer Matthew Stadler, who led public programming and the Publication Studio at White Stag was the one who conceived of the project and subsequently contacted Elverum. [1] Stadler's only stipulation was that the project be directly related to building. [2] Elverum recorded the album during a week long residency at the White Stag building from March 30, 2009 to April 6, 2009. [1] [3] Elverum used a Marshall amp and a 4 track analogue tape to record the album. [1] [4]

Elverum performed the album in its entirety on May 2, 2009, in the White Stag building. [1] He then collaborated with a group of graduate students to package the album and release the album. [1] The album was released in a limited CD-R which included a poster with the lyrics printed onto it. [3] Only a couple hundred copies were made. [4]

Music

The album is a mix of traditional songs and field recordings. [1] Elverum chose to create a "fake history", focusing on the mythology of the building rather than presenting an accurate representation. [1] [2] In an interview with Portland Mercury he stated that "The songs are about how hard it is to maintain a relationship with memory when something bad has happened" noting the building's history with the oppression of Native Americans and the divide between the rich and poor. [1] [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Phil Elverum

No.TitleLength
1."(calling)"0:31
2."Origin"2:08
3."(basement instrumental)"2:49
4."Mud Grave"1:49
5."Sighing"1:53
6."(summoning)"2:17
7."Quiet Echoes"2:19
8."Hunting"1:40
9."(3rd floor instrumental)"1:45
10."Wasted Wealth"2:01
Total length:19:18

Personnel

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">Mount Eerie</span> American indie rock/folk band

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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marriage Records</span>

Marriage Records is a small, independent record label formed in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 2001 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The label has released a number of albums by musicians such as Adam Forkner, Dirty Projectors, Little Wings, Lucky Dragons, Tune-Yards, Yacht, and Karl Blau. Artists on the label frequently collaborate and swap members.

<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>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.

<i>Microphones in 2020</i> 2020 studio album by the Microphones

Microphones in 2020 is the fifth and final 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.

<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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Motley, John (April 30, 2009). "Grave Architecture". Portland Mercury. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Mannheimer, Michael (April 28, 2009). "Going Stag". Willamette Week. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Lorenz, Jon (May 15, 2009). "Mount Eerie Issues New CD from Experience, Titled White Stag Building , Sheds Tear For Indians While Hiding In a Creepy Building Scared of the Howling Wolves Off In the Distance". Tinymixtapes . Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "White Stag, by Mount Eerie". Mount Eerie. Retrieved May 16, 2020.