Last summer, I went to The Business, a record shop in Anacortes, Washington, and it was honestly one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to. Their stock was heavily focused on curating independent musicians from the area. It was really awesome to just go through the records; each one felt individually cared for in a way others don’t. 

Of course, who’d expect any less from the original home of accomplished musicians like Beat Happening and, notedly, Phil Elverum, the musician behind The Microphones and Mount Eerie. His albums are brimming with lofi ingenuity and I believe that he’s one of the best lyricists of our time. The thing that really sticks out when it comes to his music, though, is the way his music almost invites you into his universe, as shattering and painful as that can be sometimes. Car Seat Headrest cites Elverum as a huge influence, and while there’s nothing that sounds exactly like his music, he’s been compared to Neutral Milk Hotel, The Unicorns, and Animal Collective. However, for those who want to get into his music, his discography is really long; it can seem like a super daunting task. Have no fear though, because this discography guide is here for you, organized in eras and in order of listenability.

Cult-Classic Microphones: “The Glow, Pt. 2,” “It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water,” and “Mt Eerie”

“The Glow, Pt 2,” released under the Microphones moniker, is probably the best introduction to the Elverum-verse. Released in 2001, it chronicles Elverum’s break-up at that time, but it’s so much more than that-and it forms a melancholy picture of both the artist and the natural world around him, which is a common theme in these albums. Loud, crashing percussion and harsh, distorted guitars sound like a brewing storm or waves breaking onto the shore. But when we’re talking about “It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water,” I honestly found it hard to get into.  I feel the same way with “Mt Eerie”; the lyricism on these albums are pristine (as always) and the drums and textures of the album are invigrovating, but in other places (especially on “Mt Eerie”) it feels drawn-out or under-delivered.

Phil Spends Some Time in the Forest: “Lost Wisdom,” “No Flashlight,” and “Dawn”

I’m going to start off with “Lost Wisdom”-  it is awesome. The album is a collaboration with Julie Doiron (of Eric’s Trip!) and Fred Squire, and it totally works. It’s an album of duets between Elverum and Doiron, and their voices perfectly compliment each other in this return to a more folky sound for Elverum. “No Flashlight” is essentially an entire album of Elverum doing what he does best: beautiful textures and the recurring woodsy themes prevalent in his lyricism. It’s good, just not necessarily new. Finally, “Dawn” is another breakup album, and it’s awesome. It’s the most stripped down early Elverum album, and it is a perfect winter album. The guitar sounds chilly, with each individual string frozen over. As Elverum sings, “​​And there stood Cold Mountain with its trickling sound” on “Cold Mountain,” you can almost see the fog emitting from his breath.

Really Sad Mount Eerie: “A Crow Looked At Me,” “Now Only,” “Lost Wisdom, Pt 2,” and “The Microphones in 2020”

“A Crow Looked at Me,” released in 2017, is one of the most devastating albums in recent years. It chronicles the death of Elverum’s wife, Geneviève Castrée, in stripped-back acoustic melodies, and feels too personal to be listening to – let alone critiquing. “Now Only” deals with the aftermath of the event; the grief that still lingers as Elverum attempts to reenter normal life. “Lost Wisdom, Pt 2” was released after “Now Only,” and continues to have the same themes, with Dorion joining Elverum for a pair of duets. The major concern I have with this album is the fact that the original “Lost Wisdom” didn’t feel unfinished, so it feels unnecessary to have a second part to it. Finally, “The Microphones in 2020” is really weird — it’s one 45 minute long song, looking back on Elverum’s life. The hyper-specific introspection of this album is a far cry from the existential wanderings of his early work, and it’s an interesting new path Elverum walks on this album.

Phil-Retreats-Into-A-Cabin-In-The-Woods Mount Eerie: “Clear Moon,” “Wind’s Poem,” “Ocean Roar,” and “Sauna”

This era, I feel, is where Elverum feels more comfortable delving into his harsher influences (like Norwegian black metal) under the Mount Eerie moniker. “Clear Moon,” my favorite of the four, is a lot better than what most people give it credit for. The melodies are pristine and the lyrics deal in universal themes without being too pretentious. I do not have the same opinion of its twin album, “Ocean Roar.” I do like “Ocean Roar,” due to the fact that the first time I listened to this I was on the water, which seems the ideal way to listen to it — but it’s a bit louder than “Clear Moon,” which I feel like does it a disservice. That isn’t to say that I can’t deal with harsher melodies, or Elverum isn’t good at them; look at “Wind’s Poem,” which is done absolutely masterfully. The entire album sounds like a snowstorm in a forest, if that makes sense; guitars fuzzed out to oblivion crash against imagined mountain peaks. And then there’s “Sauna.” I didn’t really like this one very much. There are some fun little ambient moments, but that’s about it.

Early Demos and First Albums: “Tests” and “Don’t Wake Me Up”

I feel like both “Tests” and “Don’t Wake Me Up” serve the same purpose in Elverum’s discography- They’re the earliest albums recorded under the Microphones moniker, and are filled with guest vocalists and all of the squeaky feedback you can think of. The main appeal here is to people who are already familiar with Elverum and the Knw-Yr-Own collective.

This so concludes my motivational project to listen to all of Elverum’s albums. For further listening, he has a bunch of other albums out that are different versions of his main albums, like “Windows” (early “The Glow, Pt 2” demos) or “The Drums from Mt Eerie” (self-explanatory). He also has other projects and ambient albums on his Bandcamp page, as well as bands he’s played in.