Review: The Microphones – Microphones in 2020

Tropical storm Isaias was rough on New York; hope y’all are safe. After this week, I will begin posting two times a week again. Thank y’all for the patience. Here’s the review:

Legendary folk outfit The Microphones led by renowned lead Phil Elverum releases their fifth official studio album Microphones in 2020. The Microphones are known for their indie masterpiece The Glow, Pt. 2, which has received critical acclaim across the music scene and is regarded as a genre-defining album. This new record is a more personal album for Elverum as little band accompaniment or production is heard on this single, long song. To top it all off, according to Elverum, he recorded the song “nowhere” between May 2019 and May 2020, building to the project’s enigmatic nature. This studio album comes seventeen years after the most recent full-length project the band has released as the other releases between these years are alternate versions of existing albums or singles. So, there has been much well-deserved anticipation for Microphones in 2020, and it is finally here.

Elverum starts the song/album off with a seven to eight-minute ambiance with The Microphones signature acoustic guitar playing. He starts singing softly over the instrumental with lyrics of genuine introspection of his younger years. The sheer imagery of nature in the words Elverum uses to describe anything from fears to the true state of all things is phenomenal. “that walking with my knees trembling is / the true state of all things. / The true state of all things is a waterfall / with no bottom crashing end / and no ledge to plummet off.” Between the twelve and thirteen-minute marks, there are small but extremely impactful instrumental additions like guitar distortion and drums. Elverum continues reflecting on his past, and how he used to be so excited to create music after doing his chores. He shows the talent that he is well-known for on the line “falling slow:” Emphasizing a short phrase to make sure the listener feels how he does. Afterward, Elverum dives farther back into history to a time when he was seventeen and using the name “the Microphones” to label the tapes he recorded after work every night. He includes his experimentation with instruments and going down Mount Erie (also an album allusion) that transitions to him listing artists that are apart of his identity. The song makes a more drastic change after the 22-minute mark as the guitar strumming stops, and a drone continues with some piano inclusion. There is a three-minute peak in this album before the main guitar returns where there is heavy distortion, while Elverum talks about his romantic tragedy. He dedicates a verse to the insecurities of why his significant other might have left him. Then, at the 27-minute mark, a bright pipes and strings drone engulfs the listener after Elverum swims “out into the lake of the heart and in.” Afterward, he reflects on the creation of his masterpiece album in 2001 when he was almost 23, and the aftereffects that he may not have enjoyed as much such as touring voraciously, making him “swim out to the middle and dive as far as (he) could down to where the water gets cold, with open eyes.” The introspection is never-ending on this song; Elverum discusses the transition from the Microphones to his then, new idea of “Mount Eerie.” Creating a boundary between the two eras of his life was a “feeble gesture at making chaos seem organized” for him. The descent of the album is the realization of the solemn passion Elverum has for music and The Microphones. He refers to The Glow, Pt. 2 when he says, “When I took my shirt off in the yard I meant it, and it’s still off.” Elverum ingeniously ends the album on an unsatisfying note after saying, “Anyway every song I’ve ever sung is about the same thing: / standing on the ground looking around, basically. / If there have to be words, they could just be ‘now only’ and ‘there’s no end.’”

Microphones in 2020 is truly a great addition to Elverum’s discography as a separate, introspective work. The album runs through the musically important times of his life, so he can reflect on those experiences. It is a more relatable album because he includes elements like romantic relationships and his perspective as merely being a kid who loves music, giving listeners the feeling like he was just like us. Elverum also flawlessly strings in lyrical allusions to his other works like The Glow, Pt. 2. The instrumental might be the only aspect of the album that most will critique; it is very linear as the album is one long track. Additionally, the instrumental returns to the same short guitar strum with small alterations throughout the 45 minutes. However, the consistency of the instrumental accentuates the small changes, emphasizing certain lyrics in a unique, impactful, and sometimes poignant way. Microphones in 2020 is Phil Elverum’s personal masterpiece as it is composed of a holistic reflection of his life. He incorporates the ingredients listeners love about his music on this vinyl-only release.

Favorite Tracks: Microphones in 2020

Least Favorite: N/A

Score: 9.1