Mount Eerie’s latest album Night Palace is 26-track, hour-and-twenty-minute long summation of Phil Elverum’s career to date. It’s a kaleidoscopic flipbook of ideas and capabilities. The combination of introspective slow-burning points and energetic high points give enough texture to offer a unique listening experience with each subsequent replay. The live show follows this template, each song felt familiar yet unpredictable, making the show exciting and intriguing. At times the entire crowd was transfixed on the stage, attending to every stricken note. Self-aware musings and comedic banter in between songs brought everyone back to center from the spacious atmosphere engineered by the band. It’s a rare sight when an artist holds attention of the crowd like that.
At the merch table, Phil Elverum sold his own records, shirts, and even coffee. He had a self-serve dispenser of the brewed coffee available for free, for those who either wanted to try out the product or needed a caffeinated pick-me-up. There was also a $100 used paper towel roll for sale, a reference to his song “Empty Paper Towel Roll” – more of a clever joke than a real item for purchase.
Mount Eerie’s live show sounds like no one else’s, but everyone else’s live show sounds like Mount Eerie’s. There is a primal human emotional element to their performance. I’m not sure if calling it a performance is accurate, as that would imply it is not genuine. The show we witnessed on stage felt raw, yet carefully thought out. It was effortless, yet calculated. Phil Elverum and his supporting band in Mount Eerie showed that having carefully crafted songs with a clear vision can overcome a performance relying on frills and volume.
Check out the full photo gallery from Music Box below:
Leave a Reply