Customer Reviews

The Glow Pt. 2

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It has been described as a low-fi (meaning nothing computerized was used) masterpiece, and I agree, having had the opportunity to listen to it numerous times since the day it arrived in the mail. It's definitely a concept album and all the songs flow together wonderfully. Also, it's terrific with headphones. The sonic depth is amazing. It sometimes feels as if the music enters through your ears and swims around inside you for a while, not quite able to escape.

Elvrum is not afraid of experimentation, either. Each song has its own distinctive sound. The dual acoustic-guitar sound at the front of "The Moon" has to be heard to be believed. (For the origin of that sound, listen to "The Pull"--available here for download--as well.) And his creativity will always surprise you. What seems at first like noise, after a few listens unfolds itself like a blooming bud to show you all its layers. You then come to appreciate the imagination--one would almost say "genius"--involved in this recording.

But even such a personal record cannot be done alone--not and remain faithful to its analog roots. Several of Elvrum's friends (mostly other K recording artists) stop by to help out. Most noticeable is the angelic voice of Mirah on a couple of tracks. I have become a Mirah fan--particularly "Cold Cold Water"--through my research on this album. I have, in fact, become rather more well-versed than I had expected in the music coming out of Olympia, Washington, the home of K (and the state capital, in case you didn't know.)

Sort of an Easter Egg: Make sure to listen for the tugboat sounds played underneath throughout the album (very clear during the quiet spots). It's the sonic thread that connects everything.

I have to admit something before I start this review. It took me FOREVER to get into this album. I tried and tried until one evening it just hit me. I do believe, as others have said, that this is a lo-fi pop record masterpiece. I'm glad I listened to it long enough before I decided to review it. Had I reviewed this album two weeks ago it might not have been the same review. Of course, there are many albums in my collection that took time to become aquainted with. Some are my favorite albums today.

The opening song titled "I Want Wind To Blow" has some very nicely recorded acoustic guitar. If you listen to it on headphones, it's even more interesting as it has been recorded to shift from one speaker to another. At first, I wasn't very comfortable with Phil's voice, but I actually think I'm quite fond of it now. The second song, "The Glow, pt. 2," is probably the biggest surprise on the album. After you've been soothed by "I Want Wind To Blow" The Microphones fuzz out to the max with a wall of guitar effects. Eventually the song turns back into the most notable style of "alternative folk rock" the album is known for. As with 95% of the album, the acoustic guitar work is just superb.

One of my favorite songs on the album would have to be "The Gleam, pt. 2." It has the most bizarre atmosphere I've heard in a while. On one hand it's very beautiful and hopeful. On the other, it's very sad and depressing. It creates a plethra of feeling. "Instrumental"(the second one) has almost the same vibe as "The Gleam, pt. 2" but is a little more uplifting. The piano in this song sends chills up my spine everytime I hear it now.

Although it has taken me a while to come to terms with this album, I am quite happy that it is a part of my collection. The Microphones are definately original. "The Glow, pt. 2" is worth your time and money. It may take you several listens to hear the true beauty of this album. Others may catch it instantly. Some may never give it a second chance. That would not be a wise decision. I'm sure it will grow on you as it has for me. Had I heard this album earlier than 2002, I might have put it in my top 20 list of 2001. That's okay. It doesn't have to be on a "best of" list to be great.

Enjoy.

Okay, that's a tall statement... but I haven't heard a piece of music this amazing in years. It's near impossible to explain this music; it's like being confronted by your fears while having your closest loved ones comfort you, if that helps any. It's at once some of the most intensely beautiful and frightening music ever recorded. It ranges from lullabye to caustic chaos. And there is so much space! Elvrum's songs are spread out and chopped apart so the this album feels more like a giant, sprawling, mutating piece of music rather than a collection of quirky pop songs. It seems like a world lives inside the disc, like it's an actual dream packaged for your enjoyment. I've never heard anything like this. Not even the previous Microphones releases (also great) even suggested a work of this magnitude. Of the hundreds of CDs in my collection, of the many thousands of songs and pieces of music I've heard, "The Glow pt. 2" stands out above them, rising out of the mangled memories of bands and song titles. I can't imagine a better album coming out in 2001, let alone this decade, maybe not this century. "The Glow Pt. 2" rivals every rock album ever recorded.

If you're the kind of person who likes the sound of tape hiss, and wind running through the trees, this is the band for you. this is IDM for humans. instead of cold digital bleeps that aren't a millisecond off in tempo, the microphones provide you with very human, very fragile sounds that are often slightly out of time, and slightly out of tune. it is the warmest, softest music I have ever heard. when listened to on headphones it actually feels like a pillow. plus, Elvrum actually gives you beautiful songs with heartfelt lyrics, that are cryptic enough to make you think about it a bit, and perfect for the music. whether you're into sonic experimentation or the beauty of humanity's flaws, this band is amazing.
I've been debating for a while on whether I liked this album or "It was hot..." more, and i've finally come to the conclusion that this is the one that everyone should own. It has just the right mix of catchy songs and experiments with tape.

You there! Yes, you! The one with the credit card and eager appetite for adio exellence. I'm not sure how you arrived here, a mouse click away from purchasing The Glow, Pt.2, or what your personal taste in music is, but I can assure you, you've happened upon something entirely new. However, don't be surprised if what you hear seems eerily familiar. The Microphones consist of a number of extremely talented people, but at its heart, the Microphones are Phil Elvrum, a studio whiz kid and straight-up musical genius out of Anacortez, WA. The Glow, Pt. 2 is more or less an account of Phil's struggle to connect with his environment within the confines of his body. The music is generally calm and moody with occasional instrumental outbursts all layered and manually put to tape. Elvrum's lyrics paint sprawling landscapes of the Northwest hardly containable in the form of song as his voice seems to wander aimlessly, nailing each melody with intentionally impresise presision. The best I've ever heard somebody describe the music of the Microphones was, "it sounds like a guy lost in the woods." Guitar strumming moves from one ear to the other as organs meld with Elvrum's vocals, all the while a distorted fog horn recorded from a tugboat leaving the port drones off in the distance. It is immediately apparent that Elvrum has captured the world around him with The Glow, Pt.2, the struggle arises when he faces where he belongs in that world. This is not emo. This is not music to listen to while you're locked up in your room. This is music for human ears. Listen to The Glow, Pt.2 while you are locked up in your body.

And do see the Microphones/Mt.Eerie in concert if you have the chance. Whatever Elvrum decides to do, it won't dissapoint.

I can't believe it has been seven years since The Glow Pt. 2 was first released (and six years since I first heard it). Now, listening to the 2008 reissue with 20 additional tracks (available on 2 CDs or 3 LPs), the most amazing thing about revisiting it is not that it still stands up, but that it still seems very ahead of its time, even today. (The extra tunes are interesting in context, but not vital to the casual listener.)

The Glow Pt. 2 has long been described as Phil Elverum's masterpiece, and I have to still agree. Its songs flow together wonderfully whether you listen to them individually or in mind of the improvised concept (tied together sonically by the tugboat sounds played underneath throughout -- they're very clear during the quiet spots).

And listening with headphones enhances the experience. In fact, I would have to say that the sonic depth is so amazing that headphones are vital to experiencing the full majesty of The Glow Pt. 2. And Elvrum's sweet, high voice adds to the effect. On no other album have I felt as if the music entered through my ears and swam around for a while, not quite able to escape.

This is all because Elvrum (later Elverum) was not afraid of experimentation. Each song has its own distinctive sound. The dual acoustic-guitar sound at the front of "The Moon" has to be heard to be believed. (For the origin of that sound, listen to "The Pull" from It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water.) And his creativity is always surprising. What seems at first like noise, after a few listens unfolds itself like a blooming bud to reveal all its layers. Only after repeated listens do you come to appreciate the imagination -- one would almost say "genius" -- involved in the making of The Glow Pt. 2.

But even such a personal record cannot be done alone -- not and remain faithful to its analog roots. Several of Elvrum's friends helped out. Most noticeable are the angelic voices of Khaela Maricich (of The Blow) and Mirah on a few tracks. I became a Mirah-phile through my research on this album. In fact, over the past six years, I have become rather well versed in the K catalog -- from Little Wings to Tender Forever, from Beat Happening to Old Time Relijun -- and it all started with this album.

For a while, Elvrum seemed to embrace his soundscaping abilities, agreeing to produce albums for his friends (Mirah's C'mon Miracle and Jason Anderson's New England come first to mind), but after the release of the more ambitious (but less accessible) Mount Eerie, things took a different turn. He changed the name of his band to the name of that album, and the music became more stripped down and even indie-er than ever before once he opened his own label, P.W. Elverum and Sun. (For example, one of the first Mount Eerie releases, Eleven Old Songs from Mount Eerie, merely contained Elverum's vocals accompanied by an old Casio keyboard.) The last we heard from "the Microphones" was a live album that managed to consist of all new material (Live in Japan February 19th, 21st, and 22nd, 2003) and a 7" single containing a couple of daily-life-oriented protest songs ("Don't Smoke" and "Get Off the Internet").

But, though Elverum is currently serving a different muse than the one who led him to create The Glow Pt. 2 (and I don't fault him for that -- you've got to follow your bliss, and he does it to the hilt), it's nevertheless great to be able to go back in time, so to speak, and recapture the days when a guy with a vision, immense creativity, and some friends combined to make the first great album of the 21st century.

There is music and there is Music. The first category is encompasses music you like (really like even), but that you are willing to admit is not "great" and probably has more to do with your own foibles and can include such esoteric choices that will later make you cringe and twitch uncontrollably. The second category, however, is different. The second category is Music. It is the stuff that makes a difference, that influences that way entire generations read, write, record, think and act.

I am convinced that Phil Elvrum of the Microphones will one day make a record that falls into this category and will allow him a chance to be reckoned as one of the truly inspiring song writers of our time (along with Dylan, Beck, Guthrie, Lennon - you get the idea).

The Glow Pt.2 is not the record that will do this, but it's damn close. And it's a damn good record. I love this album, it's one of my favorite records, but I am willing to concede that any label of greatness I attach to it is quite biased. The music itself is incredibly intricate and fleshes out the lyrics of Elvrum's songs. The songs are about self discovery through nature and people, but that's like saying Bob Dylan writes songs about relationships. Sometimes the production goes a bit over board, but 99 times out of 100 it is the perfect compliment to Elvrum's voice.

The Glow Pt.2 is by far the best balance of production and Elvrum yet. It Was Hot We Stayed in the Water at times can go overboard in the production department, but is still a fine album, likewise Don't Wake Me Up. But Elvrum is getting better and better. The Glow Pt.2 is by far his most mature and detailed album, and thus the best time to catch him. Having seen him play in New York in September of this year, it is safe to say that Phil's new songs are even better. His lyrics have progressed enormously (his new stuff is much darker too, which critics always love). The two newest songs on Song Islands which are from July 2002 show Phil in his new form and it is impressive.

Perhaps his next album will belong in that second category, but in the meantime the Glow Pt.2 is about as close as you can get. I highly recommend this album.

This collection of songs is essential for anyone who needs a little ontological shock in their life. Some of the songs feature the most elaborate, densely layered arrangements that Phil has recorded to date, with wild instrumentation (yep, those are steel drums) and innovative production techniques. But he contrasts these sounds with intimate acoustic songs like "Headless Horseman", revealing a shift in lyrical focus to a more poetic narrative style. (Phil's even written a book of poetry, it's really good.) This record is intoxicating, thrilling, heartwrenching, yet soothing. If you open yourself up to it, it will change you. Listen with headphones in the dark.

This is the best new album that you will read about today. Its greatness is difficult to overstate. Elvrum uses sound as visuals. It comforts, thrills, and terrifies. Greatest album of 2001, and a sheer masterpiece from beginning to end.

*WARNING* one flaw with this reissue: the case. while i love paper cases (and think that record companies should put an end to the ugly, useless, breakable plastic cases), this one is especially flimsy. So flimsy in fact, when i finally was able to get my hands on this beautiful record (i discovered it more than a year ago, but it was only available used on amazon), and tried squeezing the sides of the sleeve, and i was horrified to hear and feel and gentle ripping noise. there's a gash on the cover now. if and when you get it, be very, very careful! the material is much more fragile than it first feels.

otherwise, beautiful record. i'm no poet, so i'll leave it at that. i highly recommend it to anyone who loves folk indie.