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The Microphones are the project of Phil Elvrum, hailing from the state of Washington, who also plays in Old Time Relijun and
D+. Elvrum originally debuted with the cassette
Tests (Knw-Yr-Own, 1999 - Elsinor, 1999),
but adopted the moniker Microphones for
the single Bass Drum Dream (Up, 1999) and the album
Don't Wake Me Up (K, 1999), a concept dedicated to Air (the element).
This album and the single Moon Moon, employing more instruments and
tape loops, marked a change of direction, from an estranged lo-fi pop a`
la Tall Dwarfs or
Clean towards dream-pop.
It Was Hot We Stayed in the Water (K, 2000), dedicated to Water,
unveiled ambitions of baroque psychedelic-pop, but with an insanely chaotic
approach (The Pull, 11-minute The Glow).
The sprawling The Glow Pt 2 (K, 2001), dedicated to Fire,
is an exercise in sophisticated orchestration a` la
Neutral Milk Hotel and
Olivia Tremor Control, but still tinged
with Syd Barrett-ian calm madness.
I am Bored, I Want the Wind to Blow, The Moon and the
9-minute My Warm Blood compose a lyrical cubist patchwork.
The Microphones' fourth concept album Mount Eerie (K, 2003), contains
five lengthy tracks which are even more "artificial" than the previous ones.
The 17-minute The Sun and Mt Eerie are sonic fantasies that
absorb and metabolize apparently disconnected sounds to produce perfectly
rational organisms. The ghostly ending of Universe lends the album
a metaphysical meaning that summarizes the progression from Air to Water to
Fire to the universe. The music seems to flow in a higher dimension, but then
collapse continuously as if physics ceased to exist and then resumed again
in an endless loop of disjointed transcendence.
Song Islands (K, 2002) collects the singles.
Live In Japan (K, 2004) contains all new songs in a live and solo
(no orchestration) setting.
Mount Eerie became a full-fledge (home-based) project, but, alas, one of those
hyper-prolific projects of very low-quality music:
Flashlight (2005), Singers (2005),
Eleven Old Songs (2006).
D+, formed with guitarist Brett Lunsford of Beat Happening and vocalist Karl Blau, released D+ and Dandelion Seeds (1998).
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Paolo Latini)
I Microphones sono il progetto di Phil Elvrum, dallo
stato di Washington, già all'opera anche con Old
Time Relijun and D+. Elvrum ha debuttato a proprio nome con la cassetta
Tests (Knw-Yr-Own, 1999 - Elsinor, 1999) e il singolo Bass Drum
Dream (Up, 1999), e adotta il moniker Microphones per Don't Wake
Me Up (K, 1999), un concept album dedicato all'Aria. Questo album e
il singolo Moon Monn, presentano un uso di un maggior numero di
strumenti e tape loops, segnando un cambio di direzione verso il dream-pop.
It Was Hot We Stayed in the Water (K, 2000), dedicato all'Acqua,
svela ambizioni verso un pop psichedelico barocco, ma anche un approccio
insanamente caotico (The Pull, 11 minuti, The Glow).
Lo scomposto The Glow Pt. 2 (K, 2001), dedicato al Fuoco, è
un esercizio nelle orchestrazioni sofisticate à la Neutral
Milk Hotel e Olivia
Tremor Control, ma sempre tinto da una calma pazzia Syd Barrett-iana.
I am Bored, I Want the Wind Blow, The Moon e i 9 minuti
di My Warm Blood compongono un patchwork liricamente cubista.
Il quarto concept album di Microphones, Mount Eerie (K, 2003),
contiene cinque lunghe tracce che sono anche più "artificiali" di
quelle già conosciute. I 17 minuti di The Sun e Mt. Eerie
sono fantasie soniche che assorbono e metabolizzano suoni apparentemente
disconnessi per produrre organismi perfettamente razionali. Il finale spettrale
di Universe dà all'album un significato metafisico che riassume
la progressione dall'Aria all'Acqua al Fuoco all'Universo.
Song Island (K, 2002) raccoglie i singoli.
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