Search - Microphones :: It Was Hot We Stayed in the Water

"The Glow, pt. 2" Lite.

M. Starr | Kansas City | 02/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After purchasing and finally becoming very intrigued by The Microphones latest release "The Glow, pt. 2," I rushed to get this album. I was hoping that since I had spent so much time getting adjusted to The Micorphones sound that this would not be hard. It was not hard at all to like this album because it's great just the same.Structurally, it's very similar to "The Glow, pt. 2." One exception is that there are fewer songs on this release. The song titled "The Glow" is a sonic masterpiece. It measures in at just over 11 minutes and takes you through so many soundscapes you wonder how many songs you've listened to in the 11 minutes. It's probably one of my top three songs by The Microphones yet.The first song, "The Pull," is very reminiscent of the first track on "The Glow, pt. 2." It has the signature Microphones acoustic guitar that has been manipulated to shift from speaker to speaker. Most of the songs on this album could be on "The Glow, pt. 2." Most of the songs from "The Glow, pt. 2" could be on this album. If you like one, you're sure to like the other. I would have to say that I still like "The Glow, pt. 2" just a bit better. As with most people's opinions, I think that this album just barely falls short of being incredible. I still enjoy it a lot, though. I certainly won't complain. With the exception of "Drums" I pretty much like every song on the album.Two songs in the middle of the album that just blow me away are "The Gleam" and "The Breeze." The Gleam is completely fuzzed out and has the most "user friendly" sound. "The Breeze" is what I would imagine Godspeed You Black Emperor! to sound like if their songs were cut down to 3 minutes. Come to think of it, that's a pretty good comparison to most of these songs.I've heard that Phil Elvrum is already working on his next album to be released later this year. I can't wait to hear what it sounds like. If it's anything like the last two, it should be an incredible piece of lo-fi heaven. I should also take this opportunity to suggest listening to their album called "Don't Wake Me Up," which is also on K records. It's not quite as great as these two albums, but if you like their latest two, you may want to check it out anyway. It's signature Microphones material.I will admit that the average listener may not be able to appreciate the music that The Microphones are putting out. How many of us, though, have albums in our collection that we hated at first and then came to love even years later? That's how I feel most people will be with The Microphones. Once your hooked, that's it. Buy this album and buy "The Glow, pt. 2" while your at it. I'm sure you'll come to really appreciate the work that is being released here."

Can music change the way time operates?

M. Starr | 01/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""It was hot" is a sonic translation of how the ocean looks, how the sunlight feels on your skin, how the wind bends branches around. It demands a lot of the listener but it's a rewarding journey.Phil disassembles traditional "pop-song" structures and rearranges them at the service of raw sensation. The result is not "fragmented", rather it is a different deeper kind of completeness. It is no exaggeration to say that time works differently when you listen to this record. It's like when you go out to the beach to watch a sunset, or climb up a tree to think about things. Every moment is so radically full of beauty that time doesn't seem to pass.If you think it's "boring", you're not listening very closely. You have to listen to it with active passivity. Let yourself be vulnerable. Subtle variations in panning, sounds that come up over you like waves. Incredible attention to detail. Get this record and everything else Phil has ever done. If you can find a copy of the vinyl pressing, it has a cool pop-up cover!P.S. that mean person calls me a tree-hugger. i'm ok with that, as i do indeed love trees. I like sebadoh, too. but they are loose and raw, while the microphones pay attention to every precious detail. There's nothing mediocre about this album. It's not druggy escapism...it's about experiencing reality more completely. Be brave. Dive right in."

A good Microphones introduction

Craig Clarke | New England | 11/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After hearing The Glow, Pt. 2, I was most interested in pursuing this band called the Microphones. My next step, as I saw it, was to move backwards and purchase their previous album, It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water. (Ironically, the title comes the song "Where It's Hotter Part 3," which does not appear on this album). This was a monumental purchase. It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water is almost as good an album as The Glow, Pt.2. It's infinitely more accessible, with songs like "The Pull" and a cover of the Eric's Trip song, "Sand" gently introducing newer listener to the quirky experimental style of Phil Elvrum, the "band's" only static member. The centerpiece is an eleven-minute song entitled "The Glow," which is one of the best experimental pieces I've heard in a long time. It goes from a mild voice with acoustic guitar ("The glow came down from the hills"), continues into a nearly-dissonant chorus with organ, back to the guitar-voice combo, then the creepily angelic voice of Mirah ("Hey, wake up, it's me, the glow"). Then, with a sudden crash, it becomes a rock song ("I started to glow"), complete with "woo-woo" backup singing, before eventually fading out into shadows and whispers. But it's even more than that, what with all the layering of instruments and voices. "The Glow" is definitely the highlight of an already great album and is alone worth purchasing It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water."