Mount Eerie, the Washington-based indie/folk/rock creation of Phil Elverum, will grace UW-Madison’s Music Hall tomorrow night, September 6. And in my opinion, the old architecture and large clock tower is the perfect showcase for the music of Mount Eerie.
You might know frontman Phil Elverum from long-running musical group The Microphones, which became known for a lo-frequency style and a high level of experimentalism. The name has been dissolved, though, and ever since 2004 the musician stands as the creator of a new project: Mount Eerie.
It is Elverum’s latest musical brainchild and is true to the artist’s style, as he continues to undertake grand subjects within his songwriting while also grounding the music with the personal and realistic feel of the recording. The name change emerged through the artist’s ever-changing and always evolving life, as both time and humans are constantly in flux. Mount Eerie is representative of another stage in Elverum’s life.
There is one noticeable element that Elverum brings to each project, including Mount Eerie; each record and song are linked by high concept and lo-fidelity sounds. It is difficult to pinpoint a description of Elverum’s music, but it is deep, emotional, and very nearly spiritual. Vocally, his music usually always takes the form of hushed tones, occasionally getting lost within the more powerful and busy compositions. Lyrically, he tackles profound subjects such as life, death, and nature. Musically, he is unique and diverse, utilizing synthesizers, sounds that resemble Gregorian chants, and exotic bells.
Elverum has already released a Mount Eerie album this year, but another has just been released for the world to enjoy.
The first, released just this past May, is titled Clear Moon. It is perhaps best described as a wandering journey through a dense and fog-infested forest on a moonlit night, as it has a genuine sense of isolation and distance from the usual lives that we pursue within modern society. Like a lot of Elverum’s music, it is ambiatic and trance-y, sending the listener into a calm state of mind. The opening song, titled appropriately “Through the Trees,” possesses the constant sounds of raw hypnotic synthesizers, resonating simple yet embellished chords amongst soft drums, deep bass, droning keyboard, and clanging bells. It is the perfect song to begin the journey that Clear Moon is.
Ocean Roar, the second Mount Eerie album of 2012, has just been released this month, and adds eight more songs to Mount Eerie’s resume. Where Clear Moon is soft and filled with soft synth, Ocean Roar is more energetic and grungy. “Waves,” for example, has a grimy sound that incorporates distortion and what sounds like feedback against a backdrop of synthesizers. The whole Ocean Roar album is more powerful, and a great companion to the first.
You can get both albums digitally from his website, but you can also purchase Mount Eerie music in the form of classic vinyl. The vinyl version of Ocean Roar will be released next month, so save up for that!
All this being said it is probably obvious that Phil Elverum and Mount Eerie are not for everyone. You will most likely never find his music on the Top 40 charts, the songs are sometimes extremely long and abruptly ended, and if you do not delve into Mount Eerie in hopes of finding something new and deep then it might not be for you. Music lovers that enjoy trance, drone, or experimentalist indie music seem to be the perfect audience for Elverum.
Those that are willing to take the journey into Mount Eerie, though, will most certainly fall in love.
Even if these descriptions make Elverum’s unique music seem odd or daunting, don’t be scared to check it out live tomorrow night. Mount Eerie’s hypnotic songs have already captured a large following that will vouch for Elverum’s beautiful songs and distinctive talent.