Review Summary: Mellow out on that long night during your lonely drive through scenery.
"They're kind of the reason why I got into playing music."
That's what Phil Elverum thinks of indie/noise pop band
Eric's Trip. They're his favorite band, and on this LP, he is now singing alongside lead singer and guitarist of Eric's Trip, Julie Doiron and Fred Squire, respectively. The decision to record this album was spontaneous if anything else. Doiron and Squire, having a few days off of a door, made a surprise visit to Elverum. Elverum was a little afraid to ask if they would like to record an album, but the three decided for it and recorded it quickly in a couple of days. It shows, with only two of the songs being over 3 minutes long.
The results of it were fantastic. The production is the usual lo-fi production you would expect from Phil Elverum. The vocals are rough around the edges, and the guitar seems to be recorded back a little bit from the actual recorder, but it all adds to the album. Doiron and Elverum voices harmonize throughout the whole recording, and they compliment each other very well. There is mostly only a standard affair of instruments on this, with an acoustic guitar, electric guitar and bass being the primary instruments. There is a xylophone on "Flaming Home," but other than that, nothing much else. Also, drumming is sparsely used altogether on this album.
But, as I said, Doiron and Elverum voices tie together very well with other. Doiron's highs along with Elverum's lows correspond on a level of true beauty and emotiom. Their melancholic style of singing is the true emotion of this, with the guitar only adding to that sound. Even though they sound mostly melancholic throughout, Doiron's voice gives a sense of uplifting hope because of the way her voice just sounds altogether. The instrumentation on this album seems to take a backseat to the vocals and altogether is nothing to note, other than it is only used to rather add to the mood. The guitar played throughout the whole album is only simple strumming and it adds to the very mellow feel of the album altogether.
And that's what this album is, mellow. Perfect for those long, lazy nights, or that drive through the woods where all you have to confront you is scenery. That is where the rough production and and voices work best, not seeing to make your drive depressing, but rather to give a new feeling to the woods altogether, to make you feel more connected, as if you were just a stones throw away from your log cabin in the secluded wildlife. This album will accompany you through your midnight drive.
oh sleepy heart
what do you say?
should we keep thumping?
