The Microphones have been around since the late 90's and have released a bunch of full length albums. Although I only own this and The Glow Pt.2 I have to say that this album pails in comparison. The Microphones are an excellent band that are overshadowed by bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel. If you enjoy bands such as Flying Saucer Attack, and Explosions In The Sky than the Microphones may surprise you. The Microphones are a difficult band to compare to others, but that is the best I can do.
First of all I would like to state that this is an album made for headphones. While Mount Eerie is a fine listen without headphones, it is far superior with headphones. When you listen to this you get lost in the music, it seems like you can't take your headphones off once you get into this. The only problem is that you will have to give this album a lot of time to grow on you. You can't get this album and expect a masterpiece on the first listen, it took me about a dozen listens to really get into Mount Eerie. Even though this takes a long time to get used to, it is definately worth it. However the Microphones are not for everyone, this music only appeals to a certain crowd of people and I have yet to meet someone who is a Microphones fan, so brace yourself. Mount Eerie isn't as experimental as The Glow Pt.2, but I would still consider this an experimental album. Lo-fi, experimental rock is what this album is all about. In case you don't know what lo-fi is, it is using no computer effects to change or alter the music. I am not a fan of lo-fi music, but the Microphones make it very appealing. Acoustic guitars, drums, bells, and horns are used to create an atmospheric, gentle, moody album. The Microphones never rock out, this is a very spacey, dreamy, gentle album. Sometimes there is nothing going on in the music except for a soft guitar strum. Mount Eerie has some rock moments, but for the most part there are no real rock out parts to these songs. This album has a bunch of dramatic, hypnotizing moments that just forbid you to take off your headphones. The Microphones do everything so well, this album is for those who want some soft, gentle music.
Mount Eerie is a dark, reflective, melancholy, adventure. This album is very effective if you are feeling depressed or sad. Mount Eerie is best when it is a damp, rainy winter day. This is a dreary album and there is nothing upbeat about it. Even though this may sound boring the Microphones keep things interesting. These songs start off slow and then they build into something beautiful. The epic seventeen minute long The Sun is glowing with drums, brass instruments, and acoustic guitars. This song is very hard to digest at first, it took me a very long time to really get into this tune. Mount Eerie is approxamently 40 minutes long, and with one song being seventeen minutes long it takes up just about half the albums length. The Sun speaks for the rest of the album, gloomy, dreary, reflective, and the song builds up greatly. Even though this may seem like a huge bore at first it really grows on you. The instrumentation is superb and the Microphones succeed when they create lengthy, soft, gentle tunes.There are a few downsides, and this album is far from perfect. Mount Eerie is not accessible. There really is no other way to put it, you can't just pick this up and listen to it whenever you please. On a bright sunny 70 degree day I can't pick this up and listen to it. It is just to soft and gentle at times and I can't listen to this unless I really have something to think about. The Microphones will bore a lot of people. Almost everyone I know can't even sit through the first five minutes of the first track. They call this music boring, or dull. While this can be true, that is just on the first listen, once again this album is a huge grower. Other than that, Mount Eerie is almost flawless.
Overall I would say that this album is simply brilliant if you like the genre. Fuzzy acoustic guitars, and drums beats, make up most of this album. Mount Eerie is dark, gloomy and reflective. The lo-fi and experimental sound of this album keep things eeire, and hypnotizing. The Microphones are not for everyone, if you are considering to buy this than you have been warned that Mount Eerie demands patience. Even though this can't match up to the excellence of The Glow Pt.2, Mount Eerie stands up well on it's own and is an overlooked and underated gem.
Overall Rating : 4/5
Pros: Brilliant rainy day album - Fuzzy acoustic guitars - Gloomy, and reflective - Once it grows on you, you can't put it down
Cons: Not for everyone - Not accessible
