8.

The Microphones
The Glow, Pt. 2
(K, 2001)

I received this in the mail along with UNKLE just prior to leaving on a 5 hour drive to vacation in Lake Powell in southern Utah. While I certainly leant some time to Psyence Fiction during the trip, it was The Glow, Pt. 2 which truly enchanted me. I’m sure that I listened to the album twenty to thirty times over the course of that trip and for good reason. The Glow, Pt. 2 is Phil Elverum at his very best. I mean, I’m pretty sure it is better than Mount Eerie, but I’m stubborn in my love for that album. So many little perfections and expectedly perfect album art.

-Thistle

2.

The Microphones
Mount Eerie
(K, 2003)

The first time I listened to Mount Eerie, I didn’t know the ridiculously convoluted concept behind it. Yet, even without this knowledge, I popped the CD into my portable CD player (remember those), put on some oversized headphones and proceeded to hike up a nearby canyon. Alone with nature and this album, it was perhaps the single most poignant experience I’ve had with any album. Regardless of what you think of Phil Elverum’s nature deifying ideologies, you can’t fault the man for constructing perfect aural accompaniments for the beautiful nature of the northwest. I’ve listened to the album plenty of times since then of course, skipping the lengthy drum intro far fewer times than you might expect, and each time I’m astounded by the communal and artistic energy that the album holds. Is it any wonder why he is now known as Mount Eerie?

-Thistle