Phil Elverum Returns as The Microphones with 44-Minute Single Track Album

Phil Elverum, known as The Microphones, released 'Microphones in 2020' on August 7, 2020, via his label P.W. Elverum & Sun. The album consists of a single 44-minute and 44-second track accompanied by a short film inspired by 761 printed photos. It marks his first release under The Microphones moniker in 17 years, following the acclaimed 'Mount Eerie' (2003). The project is an intertextual experiment using DIY practices, blending spoken-word, music, and visuals. The stream-of-consciousness narrative addresses personal grief from the death of his wife Geneviève Castrée and the end of his subsequent marriage to Michelle Williams. The music is built on two looped chords played on his first guitar, with layered instruments entering over time. The visual component features a fixed frame showing photos on graph paper, each lasting about 3 seconds, depicting Elverum in solitary landscapes. The work references visual albums like Pan American's 'Quiet Cities' (2004) and Hollis Frampton's experimental film 'nostalgia' (1971).