On April 8th, K Record’s reissued The Microphones already classic, The Glow pt. 2. Originally released in 2001, The Glow pt. 2 was said to be an atmospheric narrative about Air, Water, Fire, the Sea, the Sun, and life and death. Indeed a hazy description, but this sketch is the charm that lies in the music of Phil Elvrum and The Microphones, and the intensity in the music lies in its undeniable ambiguity. This essential deluxe reissue is the proof. Analogous to the Elephant 6 collective, The Glow pt. 2 is chocked full of transcendental, lo-fi dreamy melodies that are both emotionally intricate and sonically fragile.
The record ebbs gracefully between the beautifully delicate and the chaotic, spanning idyllic melodic pop, folky ballads with randomly placed experimental flurries of noise and distortion. Thematically, The Glow pt. 2 reverberates with snapshots of lost relationships as found in the twangy acoustic “I Felt Your Shape” and “Headless Horseman”. But even during the record’s darkest and noisiest moments, as found in the cacophony of deafening clamor and fuzz on “I Want To Be Cold” and “Samurai Sword”, Elvrum's voice never leaves its whispered quality.
In short, The Glow pt. 2 is stunningly brilliant from track to track. And for the most dedicated audiophiles, its meant to be listened to with headphones, as its lo-fi, sweeping atmospheric soundscape resonates a homespun warmth that must be experienced in the quietest of spaces.
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