The Microphones are an American

indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

, and experimental project from

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. The project was founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with a short reunion following in 2007 and revivals in 2019 and 2020. Across every iteration of the Microphones, it has been fronted by

Phil Elverum Philip Whitman Elverum (; born May 23, 1978) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist, best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie. Based in Anacortes, Washington, in the mid-2000s he began ...

. Elverum is the principal songwriter and producer behind the band's albums, but he has also collaborated with other local musicians on his other recordings and tours. Many of Elverum's recordings from the project's initial period were released by the label K Records. Since 2003, Elverum has recorded and performed primarily under the name Mount Eerie. He played a one-off concert in Anacortes, WA under the name the Microphones in June 2019 and announced the release of a new Microphones album, ''

Microphones in 2020 ''Microphones in 2020'' is the fifth and final studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It is the Microphones' first release in 17years, following 2003's ''Mount Eerie''. It was released on August 7, 2020, on fron ...

'', in August 2020.

History

Early years

became involved in the Washington music scene while working at the Business, a record store in his home town of

Anacortes Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Bret Lunsford releasing two cassettes (''Microphone'' and ''Wires and Cords'') on his label, KNW-YR-OWN. Elverum also played drums in Lunsford's band, D+, before moving to Olympia in 1997 to attend Evergreen State College. While in Olympia, Elverum caught the attention of K Records owner and musician Calvin Johnson. After recording for some time at the Dub Narcotic studios, Elverum was able to complete his first full-length album, a CD entitled ''Tests'', which was released in 1998 on Elsinor Records. ''Tests'' combined songs from his earlier cassette releases and the recently recorded Dub Narcotic recordings. At the same time, Elverum released his first 7" single, "Bass Drum Dream" on

Up Records Up Records was a Seattle based independent record label founded in 1994 by Chris Takino and Rich Jensen. Some of the label's best known artists were 764-Hero, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Quasi and Tad. Chris Takino died of leukemia in 2000 ...

K Records years

Elverum slowly gained recognition as a talented producer and recording engineer in the studio. While helping, often anonymously, with many of the area's artists, he began work on his second full-length, ''Don't Wake Me Up'', released on K Records in 1999. Elverum toured for a few months following the release with fellow K Records artist Mirah, and, showcasing his talents on the road, was able to build a small but loyal fanbase and gain appreciation in the indie music scene. While performing in another K Records band,

Old Time Relijun Old Time Relijun is a band founded in Olympia, Washington, United States and a longtime member of K Records. Current members consist of Germaine Baca on drums, Aaron Hartman on upright bass, Ben Hartman on saxophones, and Arrington de Dionyso o ...

, Elverum began recording ''

It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water ''It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water'', sometimes shortened to ''It Was Hot'', is the second studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It was released by K Records on September 26, 2000. After Phil Elverum—the fron ...

''. Released on K Records in 2000, the album was Elverum's most ambitious yet, featuring layers of harmonic guitars, noise, and Beach Boys-esque harmonies. Elverum's next release, ''

The Glow Pt. 2 ''The Glow Pt. 2'' is the third studio album by American indie folk and indie rock project the Microphones. It was released on September 11, 2001, through K Records and later through P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. Recording was done on analog equipme ...

'', was released by K Records in 2001. It was noted by critics for its production and songwriting. Probably his best-known album, it explored intensely personal themes, recalling lost loves and childhood memories. Sometimes sad, simple, and gentle ("I Felt Your Shape"), other times intense and layered with noise, guitars, and drums ("The Moon").

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

named ''The Glow Pt. 2'' as the top album of 2001, and #73 on their 200 Top Albums of the 2000s.

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...

named it the 5th best album of the 2000s. After a lengthy tour of Europe and North America (known as the " Paper Opera Tour")'''', Elverum returned to Dub Narcotic to begin work on his follow-up to ''The Glow Pt.2''. Released by K Records in 2003, '' Mount Eerie'' was named after the mountain on Fidalgo Island where Elverum spent much of his childhood. Containing five long songs, the album features a narrative arc, in which Elverum dies, is eaten by vultures, and discovers the face of the

Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Acc ...

. It represents a turning point and a realization period in Elverum's life. Like its predecessor, ''Mount Eerie'' was also praised by critics for its ambitious and imaginative production.

Dissolution

Elverum toured North America and Europe again in 2002, playing mostly solo shows (billed as the "I Will Move Away Forever and Never Come Back Ever" tour) before settling in Finnkonevika, Kjerringøy,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, where he spent the winter living in a log cabin. In February 2003, he toured Japan with Calvin Johnson,

Kyle Field Kyle Field is the American football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, United States. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggies football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a permanent con ...

, and the Tokyo band Moools, which resulted in the album ''Live in Japan''. The album was credited to "the Microphones", with quotation marks to suggest that Elverum was transitioning between musical projects. ''Live In Japan'' was released by K Records in early 2004, by which time Elverum had already begun to perform shows under the name Mount Eerie.

Subsequent Microphones releases and performances

In January 2007, a one-off 7" single was released under the Microphones moniker, titled ''Two Songs by the Microphones''. In 2008, ''The Glow Pt. 2'' was reissued by K Records with an additional disc of outtakes and rarities. In March 2011, Elv(e)rum re-recorded the Microphones' song "I Lost My Wind" for the compilation ''Collaborate With a 1940s Wire Recorder''. In 2013, the Microphones' four studio albums (in addition to the singles compilation ''

Song Islands ''Song Islands'' is a collection of singles and rare songs by the Microphones The Microphones are an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental project from Olympia, Washington. The project was founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with ...

'') were remastered and reissued on Elverum's own label, P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. In 2016, a compilation of the Microphones' early cassette releases was released as ''Early Tapes: 1996–1998.'' Elverum played a one-off concert in Anacortes, WA under the name the Microphones in June 2019, performing alongside D+,

Black Belt Eagle Scout Katherine Paul (born 1989) is a Swinomish/ Iñupiaq singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Portland, Oregon. Her music is influenced by post-rock, alternative rock, and Native American traditional music. She has released an EP and ...

, and

Little Wings Kyle Field is an American musician who releases material under the moniker Little Wings. Early life Field was born in Alabama in 1972. As a child, his family relocated to Los Angeles, California, where his father worked as a coach for the UCL ...

. On August 7, 2020, Elverum released a new Microphones album: ''

''. The album is a 44:44 single song about Elverum's own life and search of meaning. On January 13, 2022, Elverum announced a comprehensive retrospective box set, ''Completely Everything, 1996–2021'' which will contain the entire Microphones discography; Elverum also implied that it would be the final release from the Microphones.

Style

According to Kyle Cochrun of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

"''The band shirked traditional song structures, buried melodies under dissonance, added or abandoned the rhythm section at unexpected moments, caked guitar distortion on soft-spoken campfire jingles, relished in a decidedly scattershot soundscape, and dismantled any forward momentum they worked to build".

Discography

*'' Don't Wake Me Up'' (1999) *''

'' (2000) *''

'' (2001) *'' Mount Eerie'' (2003) *''

'' (2020)

References

External links

P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.
(Elverum's label)
The Microphones at K Records

The Microphones at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Microphones, The Indie rock musical groups from Washington (state) K Records artists Lo-fi music groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups reestablished in 2020 Musical groups reestablished in 2019 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups from Olympia, Washington Noise pop musical groups