Phil Elverum has been talking for a long time about how he is influenced by black metal. (In fact, the last time I saw Mount Eerie, Liturgy was opening for them at Market Hotel on Halloween. This was a few years ago. Liturgy wore corpse paint and talked about it here.) “House Shape” might be one of the first pieces of recorded music where this is clear. The song starts with a repetitive strummed chord that would be much more intense if it were turned up to 11, but at its current volume instead adds a throbbing weight to what otherwise might be something weightless. It reminds me of the new Lower Dens single, “Brains“, to a point – the idea of entering a space where the sound is just a throbbing in your ears that helps you think. The quick multi-tom drum fills also bring the metal analogy home, but sometimes they come across as a bit silly.
Clear Moon is one of two records being released by Mount Eerie this year on Phil's label P.W. Elverum and Suns, and both of them were recorded in his new rebuilt Anacortes recording studio. He's touring to support Clear Moon, expected in May, with Earth and Ō PAON, but only in Europe. 🙁
