With 26 songs and a run-time of 81 minutes, Mount Eerie’s “Night Palace” is a sprawling work that explores new ways to think about living in the Northwest. The record marks the latest project of Pacific Northwest artist Phil Elverum, also known for his work with The Microphones.
Elverum’s last release was “The Microphones in 2020” under the project The Microphones. It revived Elverum’s use of the project name “The Microphones,” and “Night Palace” continues this revival of themes from over 20 years ago. For example, the song “The Gleam Pt. 3” follows up on this journey, particularly “The Gleam Pt. 2” by The Microphones, released in 2001.
Unlike some of his previous work, the album never settles on one genre, mixing drone, indie folk, shoegaze, and moments of black metal, as heard in the song “Swallowed Alive.”
What shows through time and again is Eleverum’s relation to the Northwest. A longtime resident of Anacortes, Washington, Elverum captures what it feels like to live in the Northwest with songs like “Wind & Fog,” capturing the atmosphere, and “I Heard Whales (I Think),” capturing both a specifically Northwest experience of hearing whales and the natural sounds themselves.
Easily, the most immediately catchy song on the album is “I Saw Another Bird.” Its bouncy drums click throughout the song, acting as a more upbeat relief to the rest of the darker, slower, and more purely introspective moments on the album’s runtime.
Two longer songs in an album of short tracks and soundscapes are “I Walk” and “Broom of Wind.” Both are long and sprawling but more focused than some of the other songs before and after them.
The album’s centerpiece lies in “Non-Metaphorical Decolonization.” After years of listening to Elverum’s music, this song strikes me as the most overtly political song he’s produced. It begins with a long, droning melody with light drums. Then, the lyrics begin with, “The place has a name/but there’s another one, older.” Elverum, being a Washington State resident, seems to be talking about the very stolen lands I write this from. The song continues: “Now we live in the wreckage of a colonizing force/Whose racist poison still flows … Let this old world shatter and transform/Allegiance to nothing at all but the burning present moment.” A certain darkness is exposed on this album, whether in the abrasive sounds of songs like “Swallowed Alive” or simply in the title, “Night Palace.” “Non-Metaphorical Decolonization” focuses on the societal darkness we face.
Whether you’d rather drown in the dark drones throughout the album or in the lyrics of songs like “Non-Metaphorical Decolonization,” Elverum’s latest proves a difficult but rewarding listen.
Come see Mount Eerie play on Feb. 14, 2025, at the Neptune Theatre.
Author
Holly Brusse is a first-year student at Seattle Central College. Her interest in journalism started when she joined her high school newspaper during her sophomore year of high school. She enjoys writing on politics, music, and pop culture. Outside of school she enjoys listening to music, painting in watercolor, and spending time with her cat.
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