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September 30, 2005
you're a wrecking ball with a heart of gold
Mt. Eerie - I Can't Believe You Actually Died ("Singers" version)
Frankly, the difference between this new version of 'I Can't Believe You Actually Died' and the "Song Islands" version is that Phil's incredulity is a lot more, um, believable in this one (notwithstanding what happens at the very end). The "Song Islands" version starts with some playful banter between Phil and the chorus, but this "Singers" one jumps right into the track, and places less emphasis on the strings and more on Phil's crooked, echoing electric guitar; the notes he plays bend and break throughout the track, as if he's leaning on his instrument as a sort of crutch for his overwhelming grief and it's bowing under the strain. But it's just a trick- there's no grief- or if there was, it's been supplanted by happy nostalgia. At 4:28 Phil cracks up and finally his chorus collapses in a wash of giggles.
If you want to read something that truly takes a wide-angle look at Phil Elverum's discography and captures a lot of the disparate elements of his work, check out the excellent essay that Matt wrote after hearing "No Flashlight". Matt does a good job of articulating a lot of the more subtle points of Microphones/Mt. Eerie music.
You can order "Singers" either from Phil's label (which is closed right now because he's on tour), or here. Either way, you get both the 12" and the CD version, which is pretty nice.
Posted by Kevin at September 30, 2005 04:26 AM