Mount Eerie – Distorted Cymbals
Been catching up on sounds from the tail end of 2011 and early 2012 lately, particularly on the indie-rock side of things. Mount Eerie is the alter ego for Phil Elverum who also performs in The Microphones and used to be a member of Old Time Relijun. “Distorted Cymbals” is part of Calvin Johnson’s Dub Narcotic Disco Plate series of singles, featuring the original on one side and Johnson’s remix on the flip. While Johnson’s take is interesting, I’m much more heavily enamored with the original version. To start with I love how hard the drums hit, combined with a bit of piano, those slightly absurd guitar riffs and of course the crashing cymbals. I’m not entirely sure if this was played live or mixed piece by piece, but I love the way everything comes together along with Elverum’s plaintive, unassuming vocals that seem to both be at odds with the music and totally at home with it. Mount Eerie apparently has two releases planned for 2012, here’s to hoping they are as engaging as “Distorted Cymbals.”