Look, I like Phil Elverum. He makes pretty good music (last year’s Clear Moon and Ocean Roar were both TMT favorites), he seems like a nice guy most of the time, he’s got a pleasing face, and he knows his way around the old six-string. He’s actually kind of the whole package. But sometimes even the best of friends let you down. Sometimes you’ve got to step up to the plate and tell the roommate you found on Craigslist that he’s got to quit leaving graham cracker crumbs in your bed. I’m not saying that Phil Elverum is my roommate (quite the opposite actually) but what I am saying is this: no month deserves the shafting that Elverum has just dealt to June.
You see, Elverum just announced that he’ll be reissuing The Microphones’ catalog on vinyl starting next week. That’s cool and all, especially since several of these albums have been out of print or hard to find on vinyl for some time, but check out the release schedule here and you’ll see what I’m all riled up about. You’ve got Song Islands on March 5 (a rarities collection), Don’t Wake Me Up on April 16, It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water on May 28, The Glow on July 9, and Mount Eerie on August 20. Notice anything? That’s right, he skipped June! All sorts of great stuff happens in June, in case you were wondering. Check out this brief list that I totally did not just pull off Wikipedia if you don’t believe me: Kamehameha Day in Hawaii, Philippine Independence Day, Midsummer Celebrations in Finland and Sweden, LGBT Pride Month… the list really does go on.
I won’t deny it’s pretty sweet that Elverum’s getting these albums “ready for posterity” (it also sort of makes me wonder if he knows something I don’t). And these reissues are the real deal — Elverum says they’re “possession[s] worth keeping,” with their thick gatefold packaging, supplementary posters, free digital downloads, and various other bonus goodies. But come on man, think of our sixth month, won’t you? If you don’t, who will?
Starting in April, Mount Eerie will go on a short American West Coast tour, then in March they’ll head out on a European tour that conveniently ends right before June. Who knew such an upstanding guy could hold such an ugly grudge against a month that is literally incapable of doing anything to him?
Tourdates:
04.11.13 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
04.12.13 - Eugene, OR - TBA
04.13.13 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
04.14.13 - Oakland, CA - Lobot
04.15.13 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Crepe Place
04.16.13 - Los Angeles, CA- TBA
04.17.13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
05.06.13 - Helsinki, Finland - Kuudes Linja
05.07.13 - Stavanger, Norway - Folken
05.08.13 - Bergen, Norway - Landmark
05.09.13 - Oslo, Norway - Revolver
05.10.13 - Aarhus, Denmark - Pop Revo Festival
05.11.13 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Huset
05.12.13 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
05.13.13 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg
05.14.13 - Leipzig, Germany - UT Connewitz
05.15.13 - Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kreun
05.16.13 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
05.17.13 - Koeln, Germany - King Georg
05.18.13 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Le Guess Who? Mayday
05.19.13 - Cardiff, UK - Buffalo Bar
05.20.13 - Sheffield, UK - Queens Social Club
05.21.13 - Glasgow, UK - Nice N Sleazy
05.22.13 - Aberdeen, UK - Tunnels
05.23.13 - Manchester, UK - Soup Kitchen
05.24.13 - London, UK - St. Giles In the Fields
05.25.13 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
• P.W. Elverum & Sun: http://www.pwelverumandsun.com
More about: Mount Eerie, The Microphones
