Release Date: 11 September 2001
Song Count: 20
Rating: 5.1/10
Description:
...yes, the release date is correct. Look it up for yourself if you wish.
An external recommendation and plunging back into the seas of noise rock - albeit this time as a hybrid with slower indie rock being the more major genre - today we have The Glow Pt. 2, the most well-known album made by Philip Elverum and his former band The Microphones. This album is said to be very personal to Elverum, exploring the lyrical topic of an emotional break-up with a loved one and having to deal with its aftermath.
The album primarily contains sounds of the acoustic guitar throughout all of its tracks and stands as a mixture of slow melancholy and noisy harshness, with these two primary moods not being divided or segregated by song, but rather in seemingly spontaneous tidbits, acting as a musical representation of the emotions felt after a split with a former partner and representing the unpredictability in one's own mind and actions as a result of such an event. The songs shine best when they primarily lean into one sound or the other, creating consistency and making it easier to follow along with the song and enjoy it as it is, such as with the songs "Headless Horseman" and "My Roots Are Strong and Deep" - however, such examples are few and far between, in favour of rather disorienting combinations of different energies that puts the listener off.
It doesn't quite help that the "noise" sections of the album don't particularly bring any semblance of pleasantry or natural heaviness, feeling more like random bursts of distortion that hurt the ear, especially when standing in direct contrast with the lighter, simpler and more melodic sounds of the guitars, percussion and other instruments within one song.
The ending song, "My Warm Blood", is one very long track containing practically no sounds save for faint thudding resembling a heartbeat and an occasional low, almost bell-like ding, serving as a somber, open-ended end to this rather curious listen overall.
My main takeaway from this album as well as the one rated a day prior to this is: perhaps noise rock just isn't a genre that I particularly enjoy myself.
Nevertheless am I thankful for this recommendation!