Day 179: The Microphones – The Glow Pt. 2

26 Aug

Map

Well crap.  Look at what I just stumbled upon.  It turns out that I’m not so creative or original after all.  Sure, these guys have multiple writers, are quite possibly English majors, and write more about the records that they review than, say, similar music blogs or something like that.  It still stings, though.

Anyway, the album that I listened to today is to blame here.  I went to The Glow Pt. 2’s last.fm page, as I often do for records I’m listening to, and I saw a link to that site.  It hurts.

Oh well, I’ve got a pending patent on this thing.  I’m not going to worry.  Can you get these amazing insights and commentary from any other music blog on the internet? I think not.

So, I’m going to try and write about today’s record now.  I hope y’all don’t mind.

If you’ve spent any time on the web’s various music forums or in an independent record store over the past decade, you’ve undoubtedly heard or read something about The Glow Pt. 2.  Everyone in the music-listening world seems to love Phil Elvrum (the man behind The Microphones) and his strange blend of folk, fuzz, and solid songwriting.  Who am I to go against that trend?

All sarcasm aside, I genuinely did enjoy this record.   Sure, it’s indie rock, but it’s far enough away from all of the other stuff that I’ve listened to with its sound to make it not absolutely predictable and boring.  Interesting, choppy acoustic guitars are often nearly drowned out by fuzz and feedback, with almost-amateurish piano serving as a twinkly backdrop.  In other words, it sound gewd.

You really get the feeling that you are an elephant tending to a campfire while listening to this record.  Well, you do if you’re a music blogger who has just discovered that he’s been ripping off another blog for half of a year.

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2 Responses to “Day 179: The Microphones – The Glow Pt. 2”

  1. Dave Chops August 27, 2011 at 4:26 pm #

    In fairness, SE, the blog is very different from yours. There are at least eight different reviewers, not one. And their mission is to recommend records only – not trash bad ones. Albums heard prior to the blog are welcome. Your uniqueness is safe – for now.

    That said, I see that they have reviewed a bunch of artists that I also recommended (and, no, I am not the Montreal-based editor of the blog): Take a look. Might give you some ideas.

  2. Yuanny Dollar August 28, 2011 at 2:33 am #

    Herr Doktor Chops is right Senor Ear. Being upset about that website is no different than being upset because you discovered Pitchfork, which is what they want to be. Your project is different on every level. It is a personal journey (an Oprah phrase, I know) that happens to grow out of music. They are just another place to read overwrought record reviews. AND, you have a much better name. I would wear a Swole Ear t-shirt proudly. “365 Records a Year”???? That guy flunked out of marketing school.

    Plus, I like my reviews with the occasional “It sound gewd” or “Fo shizzle” and you can never do that on a site with grand corporate aspirations.

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