Microphones in 2020
A photograph of Elverum standing in front of a cabin at night with the photo reflected at the bottom featuring him in the day
Studio album by
the Microphones
ReleasedAugust 7, 2020 (2020-08-07)
RecordedMay 2019 – May 2020
Genre
Length44:44
LabelP. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.
The Microphones chronology
Mount Eerie
(2003)		 Microphones in 2020
(2020)

Microphones in 2020 is the fifth and final[2] studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It is the Microphones' first release in 17 years, following 2003's Mount Eerie. It was released on August 7, 2020, on frontman Phil Elverum's record label P.W. Elverum & Sun.

Microphones in 2020 is a concept album consisting of one 44-minute song describing Elverum's life and musical career. The album was written and recorded entirely by Elverum. Its release was accompanied by a short film consisting of 761 printed photos taken by Elverum, which Elverum described as "lyric video...a slideshow, a powerpoint presentation, a flip book and a documentary".

Upon its announcement, fans and music publications were interested the album was credited to the Microphones and not to Mount Eerie, which Elverum had released most of his music under since 2004. The album received widespread critical acclaim.

Background and inspiration

"The point of this song was sort of: Here I am right now in 2020. I am currently all of those things. I am still that embarrassing stuff and the good stuff and everything has happened...I really tried to paint a picture of what ingredients made up...the Microphones period".[3]

Phil Elverum

In 1996, Elverum began the Microphones, which soon developed a cult fanbase. He retired the moniker in 2003 and began a new project under the name Mount Eerie, the same name used as the title for the fourth Microphones album.[4][5] After performing a show under the Microphones name in 2019, the attention it received led Elverum to question his "past identity" and desire to return to the project.[3][6]

The project first started with Elverum "just walking around with it in [his] head and mumbling to [himself]". He then got ideas for lyrics which he refined to only "the necessary parts" and translated to written words. He wrote them down by hand in a notebook. Elverum stapled together pages of paper to keep it as one contained piece; he compared it to a scroll which was, according to him, "about nine feet long".[7] The album was recorded between May 2019 and May 2020.[8]

Speaking to NPR, Elverum explained that releasing the album under his old moniker was part of a self-imposed writing assignment as a musician.[7] He wanted the album to be a "project of demystification" which evoked and prodded at the feeling and history of the Microphones—but not hindered by nostalgia, instead being long-lasting[9]—analysed it within the scope of Elverum's life and change in perspective and rather than answer questions, simply express "how it is. The true state of all things is a waterfall".[10]

Composition and lyrics

Ang Lee's 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was referenced in the album as a pivotal moment in Elverum's musical development which transitioned his music into "Something more transcendent".[7]

Composition

Microphones in 2020 is a concept album that consists of a single 44-minute song.[9][4] It begins with a seven-minute introduction composed of two double-tracked and out of phase chords—D major and F sharp minor[3]—played on an acoustic guitar.[7] After the introduction, more instruments are introduced: speak-singing, drums, bass, organ, electric guitar (which at times appears abruptly),[11] and piano (which slowly crescendos).[8][12]

Elverum explained that his reasoning for the intro's length was "wanting to push up against the edges, similar to extreme drone music, the way that it wears down at your sense of time and reality and makes you forget yourself", as well as symbolically representing the time between Mount Eerie and Microphones in 2020.[7] When it was suggested that the album is a postmodern entity, Elverum stated, "Yeah well I feel it is its own weird thing, I guess. [...] I think of it more as an audiobook or something. It's like this big chunk thing that you can listen to if you want to sit down and devote some time to it."[13]

Lyrics

The album is mainly about Elverum's life and musical career. He discusses many significant moments in his musical career, such as the beginnings of the Microphones, the production of the 2001 album The Glow Pt. 2, watching the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, viewing performances by Stereolab and Bonnie "Prince" Billy, and listening to "Freezing Moon" by Mayhem.[3][14]

Nostalgia is a prominent theme, with both the nostalgia of Elverum and his fans discussed, as well as the question of it being positive or not being proposed.[4] The questions Elverum had from the initial 2019 show performing under the Microphones name again are featured and explored in the album.[6] Themes of process, form, identity, impermanence, and uncertainty are present—with the latter two themes, according to Elverum, inspired by "The trauma and mess of the last five or so years of my life".[12][15]

Release

The album was announced on June 16, 2020, and released on August 7.[9] According to writer Conor Williams, the initial attention from fans and music publications originated from the decision for the album to be released under the Microphones, which surprised Elverum (who expected the song's length to garner the attention).[10] The album was intentionally not released on Spotify as a form of protest.[16]

Short film

On August 6, an album-length short film was released to correspond with the release of the album. Distinct from traditional music videos, Elverum described it as a "lyric video", as well as "a slideshow, a powerpoint presentation, a flip book and a documentary". The video consists of 761 printed photos taken by Elverum, which are synched to the album's lyrics; at times, the video features the people and places discussed in the lyrics. It took Elverum three weeks to produce.[17][18] On December 25, Elverum released the photobook Microphones in 2020 Silent Version, composed of images from the short film. Elverum created the book because he wanted the photos displayed to be appreciated in a manner that the film did not allow.[18]

Williams compared the film to Hollis Frampton's Nostalgia. He also commented on Elverum appearing as a "ghost" in the photos (something Elverum deliberately intended).[10] Pitchfork's Sam Sodomsky wrote that the photos added "bittersweet visual cues".[19]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.4/10[20]
Metacritic87/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[22]
Exclaim!9/10[23]
Mojo[24]
Paste8.9/10[25]
Pitchfork8.5/10[6]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Microphones in 2020 received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 from seven critic scores.[21] AnyDecentMusic? summed up the critical consensus as an 8.4 out of 10.[20]

Chris DeVille of Stereogum praised the album, writing "Microphones in 2020 affirms the value of sifting through the past from time to time, so long as you spring forward. It works so well not because it tears down those old foundations, but because it builds so beautifully upon them." The site listed it as the album of the week.[26] A brief review in Mojo gave it four out of five stars, calling it "intimate" and "absorbing".[24] Matt Bobkin of Exclaim! gave the album nine out of 10. Bobkin contextualized the release in Elverum's career arc as well as the sociopolitical climate in which it was released, summing it up as "Elverum's indelible stamp of style, distilled into a single track that flows like waves in the ocean or hills on the mountainside".[23]

Clare Martin of Paste praised the introspective lyrics and delicate instrumentation, concluding, "an engrossing one-track album is no easy feat, but he draws us in with expertly rich, layered lyricism and immersive production".[25] Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork rated the release 8.5 out of 10, giving it the site's "Best New Music" accolade. Moreland's review highlights the power of the album's lyrics and their ability to evoke mystery and memory.[6] Konstantinos Pappis of Our Culture Mag gave the album four out of five stars, writing about the unique experience of the long song and its ability to evoke memories.[5] Steve Kling of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the release three out of four stars, comparing it to a good memoir as "it's intensely personal while glimpsing universal truths (and avoiding solipsism)".[27]

Track listing

  1. "Microphones in 2020" – 44:44

Personnel

  • Phil Elverum – guitar, drums, percussion, vocals, organs, piano, bass guitar
  • John Golden – mastering, lacquer cutting
  • Jimi Sharp – photography
  • Mirah Y. T. Zeitlyn – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Microphones in 2020
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 88

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cochrun, Kyle (14 August 2020). "Phil Elverum Sings His Memoir On 'Microphones In 2020'". Popmatters. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Phil Elverum Details Microphones Vinyl Box Set". Pitchfork (website). Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ehrlich, Brenna (June 16, 2020). "Phil Elverum Teases First Microphones Album in 17 Years". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Power, Ed (2020-12-10). "'I wanted to blow holes in the wall': How the concept album got inventive". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  5. 1 2 Pappis, Konstantinos (August 12, 2020). "Album Review: The Microphones, Microphones in 2020". Our Culture Mag. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Moreland, Quinn (August 7, 2020). "The Microphones: The Microphones in 2020 Album Review". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Gotrich, Lars (August 6, 2020). "Phil Elverum Returns to a Refuge as The Microphones". NPR. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Anon (2020-12-11). "Our 50 favourite albums of 2020". The Vinyl Factory. Archived from the original on 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  9. 1 2 3 Colburn, Randall (June 16, 2020). "Mount Eerie's Phil Elverum Announces New Microphones Album". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Williams, Conor (2020-08-07). "Phil Elverum in 2020". Interview. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  11. ↑ Jenkins, Craig (2020-12-09). "The Best Albums of 2020". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  12. 1 2 Power, Ed (September 1, 2020). "Interview: Phil Elverum on Microphones in 2020". Hotpress. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  13. ↑ Rosenthal, Jon (August 7, 2020). "An Interview with Phil Elverum on The Microphones' First Album in 17 years". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  14. ↑ Anon (December 17, 2020). "The 100 best songs of 2020". The Fader. Archived from the original on 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  15. ↑ Pearce, Sheldon (December 8, 2020). "My Thirty Favorite Albums of 2020". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  16. ↑ Hudson, Alex (August 17, 2020). "Mount Eerie's Phil Elverum Suggests Spotify Is Immoral Even Though It "Is Not Illegal Yet"". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  17. ↑ Thiessen, Beck (August 6, 2020). "Hear the Microphones' First New Album in Nearly Two Decades". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Bloom, Madison (November 12, 2020). "Phil Elverum Announces Microphones in 2020 Photo Book". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  19. ↑ Writers, Pitchfork (2020-12-08). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  20. 1 2 "Microphones in 2020 by The Microphones Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  21. 1 2 "Microphones in 2020 by The Microphones". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  22. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Microphones in 2020 – The Microphones". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  23. 1 2 Bobkin, Matt (August 5, 2020). "Microphones in 2020 Crystallizes Phil Elverum's Lifetime of Soul-Searching". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  24. 1 2 "Filter Albums". Mojo (322): 94. July 21, 2020. ISSN 1351-0193.
  25. 1 2 Martin, Clare (August 6, 2020). "The Microphones Journey Through the Past, Present and Future on New Album". Paste. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  26. ↑ DeVille, Chris (August 4, 2020). "Album of the Week: The Microphones Microphones in 2020". Stereogum. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  27. ↑ Kling, Steve (August 7, 2020). "Fontaines D.C. Are the New Rock Heroes That 2020 Needs So Desperately". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Week Commencing 17 August 2020". The ARIA Report. No. 1589. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 17, 2020.
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