Microphones It Was Hot We Stayed In The Water CD

To those who believe analog 8-track recording is dead, take note. The Microphones is one man on guitar visited by a changing array of collaborators. That solitary man is Phil Elvrum (Old Time Religun, D+) and he's twisted the singer/songwriter moniker into the winding road of experimental psych-pop. On this third full length, IT WAS HOT, WE STAYED IN THE WATER, the sonic pathways veer from fuzzy melodies to ambient textures and subtle acoustic harmonies. Sounding familiar to the ears of Elephant 6 fans, the Microphones all but bow down and worship the tape loop.

Yet despite a crowded altar, IT WAS HOT is distinct from its kaleidoscopic competition. "The Glow," for example, starts with polite guitar strumming and simple vocals a la Nick Drake before becoming an epic. Several minutes later, the only bridge between the beginning and the fleshed out (but lo-fi) jam at the end is the undercurrent of odd ambient sounds. A breathy female vocal, wind, and a looped accordion melody weave in and out, lengthening the song to its yawing limits. Other songs nod to R&B (the doo-wap-ish "Karl Blau"), novelty (the drum only track "Drums"), and Leonard Cohen on acid ("something").

Additional personnel includes: Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, Jenn Kliese, Anna Oxygen, Karl Blau, Jason Wall, Calvin.

3rd Rel;Pop Experimentalism

Recorded at Dub Narcotic, Olympia, Washington between September 24, 1999 and March 6, 2000.

Engineers include: Phil Elvrum, Kahela Maricich, Mirah Yomtovzeitlyn.

Recording information: Dub Narcotic, Olympia WA (09/24/1999-03/06/2000).

The Microphones: Phil Elvrum.

NME (Magazine) (10/21/00, p.44) - 8 out of 10 - "...A slowly rotating lo-fidelity kaleidoscope of tape loops, accordions, and xylophones; fragments of lullaby surfacing like long-forgotten memories and plunging back into the fuzzy ether..."