ince 1994 when their first recordings emerged from the dense Northwestern fog, Phil Elvrum’s The Microphones have consistently elevated their region’s trademark lo-fi pop to staggering new heights. Never confined by the expected limits of their genre, this collective of sorts has expanded their music beyond the realm of sonic convention without neglecting the palpable heart of the best pop music. Unlike so many others, Elvrum has used his profligacy not to clog the market with boring indulgence, but to test the boundaries of his unique vision. As some projects favor layers of blinding fuzz and reverb, others strip the music down to its foundation, while others still find the group’s membership inflating to necessitate ramshackle choruses that resemble a circus more than the group’s traditional influences. It is this refusal to adhere to convention that has made The Microphones one of the most exciting and intriguing musical projects of the past decade.

First appearing on a number of locally released singles and cassettes, The Microphones began as the roots of Elvrum’s ever-morphing songs (these singles, as well as many others released over the years, were compiled last year on K as Song Islands). Tests, the cassette-only debut consisting principally of found sounds, was released soon after on Elsinor Records. Don’t Wake Me Up, released the next year, found Elvrum taking a grand leap forward with the type of song that would soon become irrefutably his. His jarring intimacy and warbly melodicism lays the groundwork for even his most estranged tracks. A number of sporadic singles and free-form EPs followed, but it was not until 2000’s It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water when The Microphones were fully embraced by much of the underground media. Not co-incidentally, it was on this album that Elvrum first solidified his strengths as a songwriter, arranger, ringleader, and producer. The marvelously inventive pastiche of that album, as well as its powerfully tangible evocation of his home-state landscape signaled the direction that his next work would take.

Even with so many more potential years left under the moniker, it is already abundantly clear that The Glow, Pt. 2 is Elvrum’s masterpiece. A jaw-droppingly moving work of limitless depth both emotionally and sonically, the album saw Elvrum writing his most striking melodies and recording his most vast soundscapes yet. Songs like “The Moon” and “I Want The Wind To Blow” found their creator assembling worlds of sound that showed no electronic manipulation in their seams, without eschewing the intimacy that was key to their charm.

Following a year of touring that saw him playing college campuses and living rooms alike, Elvrum returned to the studio to craft what is surely his most ambitious work yet, Mt. Eerie. Composed of five long pieces lamenting the Sun, the Solar System, the Universe (twice), and a title track, the record sees Elvrum expanding on the analogue organics of his previous work outside the sphere of discernable songs. That a musician can take a drastic detour such of this at the (relative) height of his popularity is a testament to the faith the Elvrum has earned from his fans. But then again, by virtue of his musical personality, it’s hardly something they have a choice over.

Quick Facts:

Location: Washington

Style: Expansive, lo-fi indie-pop

Labels Appeared On: K, Yo-Yo, Elsinor, Knw-Yr-Own, Coming In A Second, Instatone Brand

Major Releases:

Tests (Elsinor)
Don’t Wake Me Up (K)
It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water (K)
The Glow, Pt. 2 (K)
Mt. Eerie (K)

Essential: The Glow, Pt. 2