Review Summary: Oh universe, I see your face looks just like mine.
JK Rowling once said that "There's always room for a story that can transport people to another place." An adventure that can envelop a person to the extent that they lose their self awareness is certainly a feat. And that's exactly what Phil Evrum accomplishes on Mount Eerie-the beautiful dissonance that permeates the album compliments the story of depression and madness he tells. So, the only way I can truly describe the album is to tell it like Evrum did, in story form. Since the main character of the story isn't named, let's call him John.
The sky is grey, and a ship horn blows in the distance. John and his family are standing on the shore, waiting for the boat to arrive. It slowly draws nearer as layered drum beats gradually become audible, symbolizing the excitement that awaits all who choose to enter in hope of a new adventure. John and his family are among those people, who want nothing more than to leave their home and start over. The boat is coming much closer now, and the bellows of its horn are almost deafening.
After what seems like an eternity of anticipation, the boat finally arrives at the dock. The excitement of the drums stop, as all the soon to be passengers are momentarily concentrating on collecting their baggage and young ones to make it on board. Large groups of people crowd around the entrance, afraid of being left behind. In the midst of the confusion, somehow John is left on the shore while his family makes it onto the boat. Despite his attempts to get past the crowds, they stand like a wall between him and his new destiny. Then, almost as soon as it had come, the ship sounds its horn and leaves the dock. The drums start to play again, and slowly fade into the distance.
The boat is gone. John is left on the shore, all alone. He waves his hanker chief to his family, but they don't see him. The staccato guitar rhythms and soft vocal harmonies add to the surrealism of the situation, as he tries to cope with this horrible turn of events. All of a sudden, a massive pirate ship speeds into view. Their boastful and dissonant horns prophesy of the havoc they intend to bring to the town.
Terrified, John runs away to Mount Eerie. He doesn't stop when he gets there; even when he can run no longer, he crawls further and further. The tempo picks up as bass and drums carry him up the mountain and show the chaos running through his brain.
It begins to rain. He stops to sleep in a dried up creek bed, hoping that the rain will send a flash flood to kill him. Two chords repeat themselves lightly on an old guitar as John calls out for a girl of his fantasies. He begins to walk again, but all sense of urgency has left him for the moment. After leaving a canyon, he is accompanied by finger picking and a basic 4/4 drum pattern. Feelings of loneliness grip him, and the voice of his fantasy love taunts him.
He climbs higher. Dimensia is setting in; he sees the terrain that lies ahead of him yelling "What do you want?" He starts to lose his memory and grip on reality, and yet he has enough self awareness to know what is happening to him. The instrumentation is light and minimalistic, just like the nature that surrounds him.
After he realizes all hope is lost, he stops and lies splayed on a boulder. His fantasy love dances across from him as he waits for death to visit. Death does not disappoint, and shows itself almost immediately. It's characterized as a lively and intimidating force, with heavily distorted bass and vocals charging in to give the sense that it's dancing around this next victim.
Death has come and gone. The tempo slows down and strangeness ensues. Hushed vocals are accompanied by an oboe and simple drums. Layered bells and violins come in, but they sound strangely off-tune. After a minute or two, they are washed away by the rain. Finally, he speaks again. But things have changed. He doesn't speak as a living creature, but as a part of the universe. He has finally received his new start. A tribal drum cadence and warm but disconcerting vocals close out the album.
Phil Evrum has created a masterpiece with this album. Its mesmerizing nature succeeds because it never overstays its welcome. The album is a little over 40 minutes long, and each section in the story lasts only for a few minutes. But encased in this album is a thrilling story of the human condition.
