The Microphones

The Microphones

Company type	Music project
Industry	Music
Founded	1996
Founder	Phil Elverum
Defunct	2003 (with brief returns in 2007 and 2019–2022)
Headquarters	Olympia , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Phil Elverum (primary songwriter and producer)
Products	Indie folk, indie rock, experimental music albums and performances

The Microphones was an American project blending indie folk, indie rock, and experimental sounds, originating from Olympia, Washington. Established in 1996, the project remained active until 2003, with brief returns in 2007 and from 2019 to 2022. The endeavor revolved around Phil Elverum, the only consistent member throughout its existence. Elverum took on the roles of primary songwriter and producer, while a revolving group of musicians contributed to recordings and live performances. Numerous early works were released via K Records.

After 2003, Elverum shifted focus to recording primarily under the name Mount Eerie. In June 2019, he performed a singular Microphones show in Anacortes, WA, and in August 2020 announced the fifth and final Microphones album, Microphones in 2020. This was followed by a limited series of tour dates across 2021 and 2022 before the project was once again concluded.

Beginnings

Phil Elverum emerged within the Washington music community during the mid-1990s while employed at the Business record store located in Anacortes. His experimentation with recording gear there resulted in two cassette releases—Microphone and Wires and Cords—issued through Bret Lunsford's KNW-YR-OWN label. Additionally, Elverum played drums for Lunsford's band D+ before moving to Olympia in 1997 to enroll at Evergreen State College.

Once in Olympia, Elverum caught the eye of Calvin Johnson, owner of K Records. Utilizing Dub Narcotic studios, he crafted his debut full-length album, Tests, which came out in 1998 on Elsinor Records. This record combined earlier cassette tracks with newer sessions recorded at Dub Narcotic. Simultaneously, Elverum debuted a 7" single titled "Bass Drum Dream" through Up Records.

Period with K Records

Elverum developed a reputation as both a producer and recording engineer while assisting local artists, often without public credit. His sophomore album, Don't Wake Me Up, was released by K Records in 1999. Touring alongside fellow K Records musician Mirah, he cultivated a modest yet dedicated following within the indie community. While performing with another K Records act, Old Time Relijun, Elverum recorded It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, which was released in 2000. This album represented his most complex work to date, featuring intricate guitar layers, noise elements, and harmonies reminiscent of The Beach Boys.

His subsequent release, The Glow Pt. 2 (2001), garnered widespread critical praise for its songwriting and production quality and is widely regarded as his signature album. It delved into introspective themes such as heartbreak and childhood reminiscences. The publication Pitchfork Media ranked it as the best album of 2001 and placed it at number 73 on their list of the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s decade. Additionally, Tiny Mix Tapes placed it fifth among the best albums of that era.

Following extensive touring across Europe and North America during the "Paper Opera Tour", Elverum returned to Dub Narcotic studios to create his next project. Released by K Records in 2003, Mount Eerie—named after a mountain on Fidalgo Island, significant from his youth—consists of five extended tracks that together form a conceptual narrative involving themes of death, vultures, and cosmic exploration. This release marked a pivotal shift in Elverum’s artistic direction and received acclaim for its ambitious sonic landscape.

Dissolution

In 2002, Elverum embarked on a tour across North America and Europe, primarily delivering solo performances during the "I Will Move Away Forever and Never Come Back Ever" tour. Afterward, he made his home in a log cabin located in Finnkonevika, Kjerringøy, Norway, where he spent the winter months. Early in 2003, he toured Japan alongside Calvin Johnson, Kyle Field, and the Tokyo-based group Moools, culminating in the release of the album Live in Japan. This album was issued by K Records in early 2004, coinciding with Elverum’s transition to performing under the name Mount Eerie.

Subsequent Microphones releases and performances

In January 2007, a unique 7" single entitled Two Songs by the Microphones was issued. The following year, K Records re-released The Glow Pt. 2, accompanied by an extra disc featuring outtakes and rare tracks. By March 2011, Elverum revisited the Microphones’ track "I Lost My Wind," re-recording it for the compilation Collaborate With a 1940s Wire Recorder. In 2013, all four studio albums by the Microphones, along with the singles collection Song Islands, underwent remastering and were reissued through Elverum’s own label, P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. Additionally, a compilation of early cassette recordings titled Early Tapes: 1996–1998 was released in 2016.

Elverum returned to perform as the Microphones for a one-time concert held in Anacortes, WA, during June 2019. This event featured appearances by D+, Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Little Wings.

On August 7, 2020, Elverum unveiled Microphones in 2020, a single continuous track lasting 44 minutes and 44 seconds that introspectively explores his life and quest for meaning.

On January 13, 2022, he announced Completely Everything, 1996–2021, an extensive box set encompassing the full Microphones catalog, marking it as the concluding release under this moniker.

Style

Kyle Cochrun of PopMatters describes the band's approach as one that eschews conventional song formats, embedding layered melodies beneath dissonant elements while unpredictably shifting rhythms. Their sound is characterized by heavy guitar distortion applied to gentle melodies, a fragmented sonic landscape, and interruptions to forward momentum.

Studio albums

• Don't Wake Me Up (1999)
• It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (2000)
• The Glow Pt. 2 (2001)
• Mount Eerie (2003)
• Microphones in 2020 (2020)

Extended Plays

• Window (2000)
• The Singing from Mt. Eerie (2003)
• The Drums from Mt. Eerie (2003)

External links

• P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. (Elverum's record label)
• The Microphones at K Records
• The Microphones on Discogs