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$14.99 CDx2
$13.99 MP3
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THE MICROPHONES
The Glow Pt. 2
(K Records)
"I Felt Your Shape"
"The Moon"
Originally released in September 2001, The Glow Pt. 2 ensured the Microphones as one of the more ingenious (and studio savvy) "bands" around. A "lo-fi" epic dealing with themes of incomprehensible loss and hope for rebirth, The Glow Pt. 2 is an album without an ounce of insincerity in its makeup, and from every drum crash to every feedback loop, down to the lightest tape scratch or faintest voice, it may also be one of those rare records without an ounce of musical excess. An alchemical wanderlust through the depths of an inflamed spirit, The Glow is bursting with effortless pop sensibility and expansive sonic explorations, all bathed in the tangible glow of Phil Elvrum's intuitive studio presence. This presence alights the otherwise all-consuming existential darkness of the album's content, and from the opening guitar pans to the final drone, the Microphones' penchant for raw and non-linear compositions delights our wildest imaginations, in tandem with the open-ended soul searching narrative of our disillusioned character.
Remixed and reissued, the musical innovations and spiritual wanderings are as poignant as ever, augmented by a second disc of "other songs and destroyed versions" to add to the composite landscapes of The Glow Pt. 2. The "other songs" are somehow closer to Elvrum's more recent Mt. Erie repertoire than to the volatile dynamism of The Glow, but are of comparable sincerity; "Where Lies My Tarp" almost feels like a conversation between the elder Elvrum and the Microphones of 2001. Most of the "versions" take a stripped-down approach to the originals, often reducing them to their base elements of voice and guitar, or finding familiar fragments placed in different experimental contexts, sometimes just barely recognizable. Some are even given dub treatment (the studio was, after all, called Dub Narcotic), expanding the universe Elvrum creates by implementing the studio as a work of art. I've long waited for a recorded acoustic version of "I Felt my Size," and this, along with the rest of the second disc, provided a newfound illumination to The Glow.
When I first heard this record, The Glow Pt. 2 came to define a sweeping emotional and musical vocabulary for me. Elvrum's intense confrontations with loss gave me a sense of perspective throughout a lingering relationship crisis (with the girl who had introduced me to the album!), while his ability to create a work of sonic art that was both epic and intimate inspired me to purchase a 4-track and borrow a set of drums. Perhaps a predictable story, but revisiting this record on the event of its re-release seven years later, I'm overcome once again by the Phil Elvrum's profound, heartfelt sentiments and exhilarating musical explorations. [JW] |
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