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PO: Mount Eerie - Now Only (March 16th, 2018)


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Pre-order here: http://www.pwelverumandsun.com/store#mounteerie

 

Now Only, written shortly following the release of A Crow Looked At Me and the first live performances of those songs, is a deeper exploration of that style of candid, undisguised lyrical writing. It portrays Elverum’s continuing immersion in the strange reality of Geneviève’s death, chronicling the evolution of his relationship to her and her memory, and of the effect the artistic exploration of his grief has had on his own life. The scope of Now Only encompasses not only hospitals and deathbeds, but also a music festival, childhood memories of conversations with Elverum’s mother, profound paintings and affecting artworks he encounters, a documentary about Jack Kerouac, and most significantly, memories of his life with Geneviève. These moments and thoughts resonate with each other, creating a more complex and nuanced picture of mourning and healing. The power of these songs comes not from the small, sharp moments of cutting phrases or shocks, but the echoes that weave the songs together, the way a life is woven. 

The music, fully realized by Elverum alone at home, is fleshed out texturally and seems to react to the words in real time. In a moment of confusion, dissonance abruptly makes itself known; in a moment of clarity, gentle piano arises. On the title track, the blunt declaration of “people get cancer and die” is subverted by a melody that can only be described as pop. As Elverum reinvents his lyrical process, he is also refining his musical vocabulary. 

Elverum’s life during the period he wrote Now Only was defined by the duality of existing with the praise and attention garnered by A Crow Looked At Me and the difficult reality of maintaining a house with a small child by himself, as well as working to preserve Geneviève’s artistic legacy. Consumed with the day to day of raising his daughter, Elverum felt his musical self was so distant that it seemed fictional. Stepping into the role of Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie held the promise of positive empathy and praise, but also the difficulty of inhabiting the intense grief that produced the music. These moments, both public and domestic, are chronicled in these songs. They are songs of remembrance, and songs about the idea of remembrance, about living on the cusp of the past and present and reluctantly witnessing a beloved person’s history take shape. Time continues. 

 

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ELV041: NOW ONLY by Mount Eerie : LP + download (PRE-ORDER)

 

release date: March 16th, 2018
A sequel or continuation down the path that began with “A Crow Looked At Me”. 6 word-filled songs about the raw strangeness of the present moment, waking up in wreckage, living with pervasive echoing real ghosts and a growing young child. Autobiographical.

contains: 6 songs, 44 minutes, heavy old style gatefold tip-on jacket with special subtle blue paper on the inner liner sheet, all the lyrics, free download card

 

1. Tintin in Tibet (4:37)

2. Distortion (10:58)

3. Now Only (5:54)

4. Earth (5:52)

5. Two Paintings by Nikolai Astrup (9:22)

6. Crow, Pt. 2 (6:50)

Edited by KaitouG
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1 hour ago, corey. said:

Stoked. Was just browsing his label's web store yesterday to see if I was missing anything. The prices for the quality of packaging are always more than fair, aside from the packaging being nicer than most labels. Particularly the paper weight of the gate folds, it's so thick/sturdy.

The Microphones reissue series with the foil stamped obi strips are my favorite thing on my shelf.

 

And speaking of the store I was just looking through earlier and noticed Crow was sold out waiting for a new pressing which is wonderful to see. Also noticed Clear Moon, Wind's Poem and Song Islands Vol 2 are out of print... along with 2 of the Microphones reissues. Looks like he's selling through stock good for him. Some of the records that go out of print never come back so don't sleep on Ocean Roar or Sauna if you haven't copped those.

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46 minutes ago, spoon said:

Tintin In Tibet and Distortion were amazing when I saw him. I know he’s played a few others live but I’ll wait for the LP.

Any description you could give us of what you heard? None of the track titles seem to give away anything haha I was especially interested in Distortion.

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7 hours ago, Sunshine said:

The Microphones reissue series with the foil stamped obi strips are my favorite thing on my shelf.

 

And speaking of the store I was just looking through earlier and noticed Crow was sold out waiting for a new pressing which is wonderful to see. Also noticed Clear Moon, Wind's Poem and Song Islands Vol 2 are out of print... along with 2 of the Microphones reissues. Looks like he's selling through stock good for him. Some of the records that go out of print never come back so don't sleep on Ocean Roar or Sauna if you haven't copped those.

Yeah I noticed that too, about crow being on pre-order and just a handful of stuff being oop. I wish I didn't sleep on song islands vol 2. Still need to get no flashlight since I sold my first press (plus this one is way better packaging)

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4 hours ago, corey. said:

Yeah I noticed that too, about crow being on pre-order and just a handful of stuff being oop. I wish I didn't sleep on song islands vol 2. Still need to get no flashlight since I sold my first press (plus this one is way better packaging)

I also want to add that the mix/master on the No Flashlight reissue legit makes the album much better if you haven't heard it yet. It was always my least favorite of his work but I enjoy it much more now.

 

3 hours ago, mesi said:

Did you guys see this? I found it to be funny and depressing at the same time.

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Then Danny Brown named it his album of the year in a tweet a few days later and it sold many more copies than that haha I remember seeing that.

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6 hours ago, Sunshine said:

I also want to add that the mix/master on the No Flashlight reissue legit makes the album much better if you haven't heard it yet. It was always my least favorite of his work but I enjoy it much more now.

Is this a Sophie's choice or is there something about it you're not drawn to? 

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2 hours ago, DecayToDeath said:

Is this a Sophie's choice or is there something about it you're not drawn to? 

It felt lifeless and had the kind of bare bones production that actually did leave me wanting more from it which isn't something I usually care about. I never thought it was bad but I never listened to it as much as the EPs and LPs released around the same time that aren't considered albums. There were like 6 or 7 releases around that 3 year period and No Flashlight just didn't hold my interest as much as the others.

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1 hour ago, spoon said:

Stoked to see a handful of US dates along with the album announcement. I’ll be grabbing tickets to the LA show on Friday for sure.

I should probably get in on this too, it's at the tail end of my spring break so I think I'll be able to swing it

 

Hey @Rezqua wanna go with?

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