Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
Mount Eerie. Wind’s Poem. 2009. 5 stars.

“Show me shapes in the swirling dust…”

Singer-songwriter Phil Elverum (The Microphones) has delivered a powerful release that usurps the traditional folk/lo-fi indie sound with deep, menacing drones and dark naturalism. Elverum’s soft, intimate voice provides a stark contrast against walls of distorted guitars and drawn-out synth lines,drawing the listener down into the waters of resignation. The union between gentle folk and atmospheric “shoegazing” is inspired, presenting an intense melancholic vision that soars overhead and sinks into the ground.

Haunting lyrics call out to the wooded landscape in sadness, longing for depersonalization, turning to the wind, the river and the sky in repose. While we never know the concrete reasons why Elverum’s “heart is not at peace”, we can petition the daunting forests of the Pacific Northwest for an answer, letting nature speak our disquiet for us. The fixed subject is torn apart, strewn across ragged cliffs, leaving mysteries concealed and vexing. Getting lost in these spaces is not a despairing journey however, but rather a cleaning of the slate, a call to cast off our vanity like stones in a stream. The emotional and aesthetic achievements of Wind’s Poem, however understated they may be, should not be overlooked. A masterpiece.

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