Score: 3.5/5
Phil Elverum has had a hand in lo-fi music for quite some time. Hailing from Washington, Elverum made a name for himself by playing in the seminal indie folk group The Microphones. The small project lasted a short amount of time, but Elverum was able to release a handful of albums.
The last of these releases was titled “Mount Eerie,” which is the newest name Elverum has taken up for his artistry.
Performing as Mount Eerie, Elverum’s music has shifted to an even more intimate style than previously thought possible. The newest Mount Eerie album,“Sauna,” shows Elverum burrowing deeper into his own headspace. A highly conceptual album, “Sauna” deals with the ideas of escapism and being a loner.
A ten-minute title track opens the album. Less of an instrumental piece and more like a derge, “Sauna” is painstakingly simple in structure. For the first eight minutes, an A-flat chord is sustained while a fire crackles in the background.
This song is the best example of Elverum’s ability to seal off the outside world, literally creating a sauna-like environment for the listener. Towards the end of the track, Elverum begins singing and one can hear the hiss of water hitting coals.
Most of the album consists of short arrangements, few of which meet any conventions of accessible songwriting. The songs “Boat” and “Dragon” are the closest things to typical songs on “Sauna.”
“Boat” is an aggressive two-minute rocker reminiscent of the powerful bursts of music made by the late Jason Molina of the Magnolia Electric Co. “Dragon” actually contains harmonized lyrics and clear instrumentation. However, Elverum stays in the Mount Eerie zone by piping in ambient noise.
Though it doesn’t come at the very end of the album, the track “Spring” acts as a complement to the opener “Sauna.” The 13-minute long song feels interminable, as if it would take the entire season to listen to it. It is a multilayered soundscape akin to the works of Sigur Rós.
The song “Youth” closes out “Sauna.” Elverum throws everything he has into the ending of this album. The track is a slow morph from twinkling guitar into dark chaos. Ominous feedback and a thundering din replace the lighthearted strings. “Sauna” fits well into the small collection of albums that Elverum has been able to make under the moniker Mount Eerie.