Mount Eerie - (After) (Album Review)

 

Mount Eerie - (After)

(2018)

My copy: 2018 press by P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.

(After) is a live recording of Phil Elverum performing songs from A Crow Looked At Me and Now Only, both of which focus on the death of his wife to cancer. The set took place in the beautiful cathedral that adorns the album cover, as was performed during Le Guess Who? Festival in the Netherlands. A Crow Looked At Me is already a painful and heart wrenching musical experience, and (After)’s live environment allows Elverum’s emotional stream-of-consciousness to expand out into a chasm of natural reverb, suiting the stripped-back and vulnerable tracks perfectly. 

The songs are played straight, meaning there isn’t much to say that shouldn’t already be stated in a review of the original records themselves. I will argue that this record is the definitive way to experience some of these songs as the performance and recording itself are both executed with exceptional grace. The presence of the audience is impossible to ignore, and on one hand, the idea of communal catharsis suits the overarching message regarding the random, uncaring nature of death but the applause sometimes pulls apart the delicate mood of the performance. Standing out is the live rendition of “Now Only” which addresses the absurdity Elverum feels as he carries on with his life, performing at festivals and sharing stories with other artists. 

Around the 51-minute mark Elverum acknowledges the intensity of the material - he sounds emotionally worn as his voice wavers slightly, and yet he carries on with an impressive elegance. If you got anything from A Crow Looked At Me and Now Only, then this live recording is a must-own album. Desensitized snobs will complain this trilogy is boring, but anyone psychotic enough to make it through these songs without feeling any emotion should be kept at a distance.