The Glow Pt. 2


The Glow Pt. 2 is the third studio album by American indie rock band The Microphones, released on September 25th, 2001 through K Records. It was recorded on analog equipment at Dub Narcotic, Olympia, Washington from 2000 to 2001. The album saw Elverum be influenced by numerous music genres such as black metal, ambient and avant-garde, as well as non-musical sources like The American drama television show Twin Peaks and his relationship to Khaela Maricich.
Musically, The Glow Pt. 2 diverts from his previous studio release It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, featuring experimental production and musical techniques and lyrics that frequently reference nature and the Pacific Northwest. To promote the album Elvrum, alongside Calvin Johnson and Khaela Maricich, embarked on The Paper Opera Tour, as well as a succeeding solo tour. In the years following its release, it has been reissued multiple times, with the first in 2007 including a disc of bonus material.
An immediate critical success it has appeared on multiple rankings of the best albums of the 2000s, with many considering it to be the Microphones' best work and an important release in the Lo-fi genre.

Background and composition

The album was recorded between May 23rd, 2000 and March 23rd, 2001 at Dub Narcotic, Olympia, Washington. The experimentation Elvrum incorporated into the album was the reason behind the album's long recording time–relative to his previous works. Hoping to achieve a more organic sound, Elvrum recorded the album on 16 track analog tape. Elvrum would record the songs early in the morning, alone, as well as spending nights at the studio. He wrote the songs alongside the recording process. The album was recorded entirely in stereo.
Elvrum created the distortion on the album via "running the guitar through the mic input on a thrift store cassette deck, then out the headphone jack into the amp." The distorted drums were recorded by raising the volume on the mics and using compressors. The drums were recording via multi-tracking with the snare and bass drum added after the initial recording. Elvrum used his Chamberlin Rhythmate 40 drum machine on the album. The drum machine was credited as "Karl Blau", a friend of Elvrum.
The Glow Pt. 2 saw Elvrum take influences from black metal, ambient and avant-garde for the first time in his career. The American drama television show Twin Peaks was influential to the atmosphere and tone of the record. Elvrum's relationship to Khaela Maricich and its subsequent dissolution were important to the album's creation and are mentioned on songs such as "I Want Wind to Blow" with the opening lyrics referencing them breaking up, the changing weather of the time and their Beach Boys cover band "The Thunder Clouds".
The cover of The Glow Pt. 2 originates from an antique Dutch cookbook entitled Calvé-Delft's Winterboekje, which was printed in 1933–1934.

Music and lyrics

The Glow Pt. 2 marks a shift in Elvrum's writing to a more abstract, symbolic style, diverting from the "short, straightforward pop songs" of It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, although it does retain similarities. Throughout the album Elvrum's lyrics range from highly specific to "macrocosmic" in scale. They're performed in a stream-of-consciousness manner, frequently referencing nature and the Pacific Northwest. The songs are equally diverse ranging from "ambient studio experiments," to "simple, acoustic folk songs," to "expansive multitracked forces of nature." Said multi-tracking is ultilised on songs such as "I’ll Not Contain You". Sudden and abrupt rhythm and key changes are present throughout the record.
Elvrum employs multiple unique production techniques such as compartmentalising individual notes to separate audio tracks and then arranging them to perform the melody in sequence. "Call-and-response," panning is featured on the song "Instrumental".
The theme of fire is central to the album. The fire on the artwork is a meant to be a representation of "the Glow", first introduced on the fourth track of It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water. The Glow in It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water was a "glowing window that you see as you are freezing to death in the snow, or the light you go into supposedly when you die" however on The Glow Pt. 2 it represents "one's inner 'life force'". The theme of searching for an area of "self-discovery and love" is also central to the album as are themes of flesh, blood, water, wood, life and death.
The opening track "I Want Wind to Blow" was recorded on January 1 2001. Elvrum wrote the melody in Philadelphia while on tour. The countermelody to the song is played in the key of G while the main melody is played in a higher register. All the instrumentation was performed by Elvrum. Elvrum recorded the piano tracks with the microphone deliberately far away, intending to capture the natural sounds of the piano and the studio which would otherwise not be picked up. The guitar sections were intended to resemble the sound of water. This was done by miking the amp and strings and having two microphones for left and right. The song features recordings of Elvrum retrieving his headphones and scraping a snare. Elvrum intended for each instrument to represent a character: "poking their head in". The phrase, repeated throughout the song "I want wind to blow" was explained by Elvrum to "want crazy events to happen to me. I’m tired of gray. Give me black or white."
The title track, as explained by Elvrum, is about the desire to wallow in self pity: "Being annoyed at your heart for still beating". It features the lyrics "my blood flows harshly" which Elvrum holds for 14 seconds. Musically the song is composed of electric guitar, organ accompaniment, distorted drums and off-kilter finger picking. Dan Hancox of The Guardian compared Elvrum's mood in the song to that of a "disaster survivor". The third track "The Moon" features acoustic guitar chords, synthesizer, drums and whispered lyrics. Elvrum found the inspiration for the song in his routine nightly walks. The first song entitled "Instrumental" begins with a plucked guitar and proceeds to a piano solo accompanied by finger-snaps. "Map" opens with a brief interlude consisting of a foghorn. Distorted organs accompanied by a kick drum, vocals and repetitive piano keys are then incorporated. The track finishes as it starts with the sound of a foghorn. The songs "I'll Not Contain You" and "I Felt Your Shape," discuss the "impossible desire to hold on to fleeting things". Elvrum stated that
It opens with atmospheric noise and chaotic guitar strumming. The song then transitions to a simplistic melody accompanied by metaphorical lyrics, childlike vocals, synths, pianos and double-timed drums. It concludes with the sound of a foghorn, a recurring motifi throughout the album. It's been described as the "most upbeat track." It's followed by the heaviest song on the album, "Samurai Sword".
The final song "My Warm Blood" is an ambient composition which resembles the opener "I Want Wind to Blow". The song ends with the sound of a heartbeat. The song is connected to the opening track "I The Sun" from the fourth and final Microphones album, Mount Eerie.

Release and promotion

After releasing the album Elvrum, alongside Calvin Johnson and Khaela Maricich, embarked on The Paper Opera Tour. The tour encompassd North America and Europe with them playing shows from a women's club on the Jersey Shore, to a historic Boston movie theater to an art studio in Washington D.C. The three of them played together with audience participation being a large factor. The tour featured short plays, dance routines and "human simulations of the solar system". Elvrum also went on a six week long tour himself afterwards, playing in North America.
The album has been reissued multiple times. First in 2007 by K Records with a collection of then-unreleased songs and versions of previously released songs. This collection was titled Other Songs & Destroyed Versions. The album was then reissued in 2008 due to being out of out of print on CD and Vinyl. The album was again reissued in 2013 on July 9 without the extra collection of songs. The album was released under his label P. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.
Due to K Records failure to properly bookkeep it's unknown how many copies of The Glow Pt. 2 has ever been sold.

Critical reception

Contemporary reviews of The Glow Pt. 2 upon release were generally positive. Dave Heaton of PopMatters described The Microphones' approach to music as "free and idiosyncratic," and "constrained by few boundaries, a fact that allows them to travel through various unique musical lands." Stylus Magazines Tyler Martin asserted that The Microphones "spew innovation every second of this disc," and that the album "promises something you have never heard before and delivers it, perhaps more than you'd expect."
Craig Dunsmuir of Exclaim! stated that the album is an example of "where the cliché of "hearing new things in it every time you listen" actually rings true" he also described the album as having "substantial quality". Matt LeMay of Pitchfork called the album an "alive" and "sprawling, swirling composition", while stating that "parts of The Glow Pt. 2 are absolutely breathtaking" due to its stereoscopic enhancements. LeMay felt that the album "exceeds even its predecessor in capturing the simultaneous wrath and fragility of nature," and praised the title track as being "the single most breathtaking song on the album." Pitchfork would later rank it as their album of the year.

Legacy

Retrospective reviews of The Glow Pt. 2 have expressed more general critical acclaim for the album. It ranks as one of his most critically acclaimed and popular albums and is regarded by many as one of the best lo-fi albums. According to "Cal" of First Order Historians the release of The Glow Pt. 2 "created a title wave of buzz in the indie community."
In a review of the album's 2008 re-issue, Brian Howe of Pitchfork stated that The Glow Pt. 2 remained to be Elvrum's "crowning achievement" and that "seven years of imitation have done nothing to dull its impact—it sounds as unaccountably grand now as it did in 2001". Brock Thiessen of Exclaim! described the album as "a brave new world where solar noise bursts over sprawling epics of the most intimate nature," and stated that "it's clear age hasn't tainted the kaleidoscopic Glow Pt. 2 in the least." Writing in Under the Radar, Wendy Lynch praised the album and labelled The Microphones as "one of the most original, interesting bands to come out in the last 3 years". Heather Phares of AllMusic stated that "it's The Glow, Pt. 2 deep, nearly spiritual yearning that makes it the Microphones' most compelling album to date." Eric Grandy of The Stranger wrote that "Nothing Elverum has done since has entirely eclipsed The Glow Pt. 2. The album finds him at the apex of his productive prowess and his songwriting skill." In 2012, Corey Beasley included the album at number four on a list dedicated to ranking Pitchfork's number one albums from 1996-2011 calling the album Elvrum's "creative peak."
After a second reissue of The Glow Pt. 2 in 2013, Colin Joyce of Consequence of Sound hailed the record as "a masterwork of sequencing as it bleeds and blends from track to track." Dan Hancox, writing for The Guardian in its "Hidden treasures" column, described the album as "a masterstroke," and "a millennial Daydream Nation." Stephen Krock of That Music Magazine called the album "ingenious," and the band's "definitive work." Cypress Marss of L.A. Record called the album a definitive release in the indie folk genre. Adam Nelson of The Line of Best Fit lauded The Glow Pt. 2 as an "essential work of modern indie," while Stereogums retrospective feature on the album stated that the album's "bond with listeners, as individuals," surpasses its critical success.
In the years since its release it has been included on numerous retrospective lists. Pitchfork included it on their list of the best albums from 2000-2004, of the 2000s and their ranking of the best indie rock albums from Pacific Northwest artists. Pitchfork readers also ranked the album as one of the best from 1996-2011. Stylus Magazine included it on their list of the best albums from 2000-2005. Cokemachineglow, Stereogum and Tiny Mix Tapes all included it on their lists of the best albums of 2000s while Treblezine included it on their lists of the best indie rock albums of 2000s. The Guardian ranked it as one of the best albums of the 21st century. Spin included it on their list of the best albums from 1985-2014. According to Album of the Year, it is the highest rated album of 2001. Acclaimed Music, ranks it as the 11th highest rated album of 2001, 104th of 2000s and 845th of all time.
Jason Lipshutz of Bilboard chose the first "Instrumental" as one of the greatest interludes of all time. Morgan Enos chose "Headless Horseman" in his ranking of Elverum's essential songs for Billboard. Patrick Pilch of Treblezine included the songs “I Want Wind to Blow”/”The Glow Pt. 2” on a list of 10 Essential back-to-back song pairs writing: "The songs truly are a quintessential pairing. They feed off one another’s existence, sonically lacing through an orchestral lo-fi arrangement." Eric Hill of Exclaim! included the album in a ranking of Elvrum's "essential" albums. Elvrum was grateful for the attention the album had received but was disillusioned with the "canonziation" the album received from music publications, stating that the idea "albums are “good” or “bad” or “essential” or not is a total myth that can usually be purchased by getting a more expensive publicist."

Track listing

Other Songs & Destroyed Versions

The 2007 reissue of The Glow Pt. 2 included a second disc, Other Songs & Destroyed Versions which contains twenty additional tracks, composed during and after the recording of The Glow Pt. 2. The "destroyed version" is in reference to him isolating and "unmixing" the songs which appeared on The Glow Pt. 2. He did this to aid "the feeling of the album as a cohesive thing".

Music and lyrics

"Where Lies My Tarp?" features "quavering" vocals alongside "shape-shifting metaphors", "twangy guitars, relaxed drumming, and a multitracked chorus." "I Want the Wind to Blow " takes influence from Dub music as well as featuring a dial-noise throughout the song.
The lyrics, such as those on "I'm Like You, Tree", continue the references to nature established on The Glow Pt. 2.

Critical reception

Brock Thiessen of Exclaim! described Other Songs & Destroyed Versions as essential. Brian Howe asserted that while "none of the new lyrics clarify the overarching story", the new tracks "reveal a few more glimpses of a distant, haunting world that's all the more alluring for its incompleteness." Writing for PopMatters, Dan Raper stated that "Microphones fans will find Other Songs & Destroyed Versions more than worth the investment."
Eric Grandy of The Stranger wrote that "The alternate versions reveal hidden dimensions to the album's songs". He gave particular praise to the song "Where Lies My Tarp?" stating that "it's as precious as anything on The Glow Pt. 2 proper, a sweet song of love deferred."
In a mixed review, John Lingan of Splice Today wrote that "I can’t imagine anyone but a long-since converted Microphones nut sifting through this material." He did, however, praise “Where Lies My Tarp?" and “I Hope You Wish You’d Die”

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and AllMusic.
RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
United StatesSeptember 25, 2001K RecordsCDKLP 133
United StatesSeptember 25, 2001K Recordsdouble LPKLP 133
United StatesApril 4, 2008K Recordsdeluxe double CDKLP 190
United StatesApril 4, 2008K Recordsdeluxe triple LPKLP 190
United StatesJuly 9, 2013P. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.double LP, digital downloadELV 031