Razgovor s Philom Elverumom o Mount Eerie, glazbi te istovremenom slušanju repa i black metala (2012)

Datum intervjua: 03.08.2012

Phil Elverum je pod pseudonimom Mount Eerie nedavno objavio Clear Moon (recenziju možete pročitati OVDJE), koji, kao i prethodni Wind’s Poem, dobiva nevjerojatne reakcije medija i slušatelja. Delikatna mješavina lo-fija, indie folka i black metala rezultat je jednog posebnog uma, kojeg RockLine pokušava razumjeti i razotkriti u ovom ekskluzivnom intervjuu.

RockLine: Za početak – kako se osjećaš sada kad je Clear Moon vani već neko vrijeme, kad već dva mjeseca ima doista magičan učinak na slušatelje i nakon svih zaista pozitivnih reakcija?

Phil: Osjećam se odlično. Stvarno sam zadovoljan albumom pa me još više veseli kad se sviđa i drugima.

RockLine: Clear Moon je, slično kao i Wind’s Poem, vrlo zanimljiva i delikatna mješavina indie folka i atmosferičnog black metala. Kako ti je uspjelo doći do tako specifičnog zvuka? Tko je sve utjecao na tebe pri pisanju Wind’s Poem i Clear Moon?

Phil: Zapravo nikad ne razmišljam o glazbi na taj način, nikad ne razmišljam o stilovima koje bih trebao oponašati. Krenem recimo od neke vrlo sirove i osnovne ideje o tome kako bi neki koncept trebao zvučati, a onda radim prema toj ideji sa svime što imam na raspolaganju. Inače ni sam ne znam kako sam došao do takvog zvuka. Ideje o takvom zvuku jednostavno su mi se pojavile u glavi. U nekim slučajevima doduše čujem nešto što bih želio oponašati, ali uzmem samo sitne detalje iz te stvari. Nešto glazbe koju sam slušao dok sam pisao i snimao Wind’s Poem i Clear Moon: Xasthur, Cocteau Twins, Menace Ruine, Leviathan, Sunn O))), My Bloody Valentine, Red House Painters, Julee Cruise, This Mortal Coil, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z itd.

RockLine: Ocean Roar bit će neki drugi dio koncepta čiji je prvi dio Clear Moon. Što mi možeš reći o tome?

Phil: Riječ je o paru albuma. Veza među njima je doduše prilično apstraktna, ali sigurno idu zajedno. Po mom mišljenju, sama veza je nešto što ljudi moraju sami osjetiti. Općenito, oba govore o istoj ideji, samo što je ta ideja drukčije artikulirana – drugim riječima i tonovima. Clear Moon je krhak i lebdeći, a Ocean Roar je bučan.

RockLine: Ako dobro razumijem, svoje si skladbe pod imenom Mount Eerie uvijek izvodio kao one-man bend. Jesi li ikad pomislio na sastav benda s kojim bi reproducirao zvukove Wind’s Poema i Clear Moona?

Phil: Kroz godine sam imao dosta različitih sastava. Po svijetu sam s cijelim bendom bio na turneji za Wind’s Poem 2009./2010. Za ove nove skladbe sada imam potpuno drugačiji bend s kojim ću uskoro na turneju. Sviđa mi se kad je izvedba skladbi uživo uvijek nekako nova, kad se stalno mijenja.

RockLine: Bio sam na tvom koncertu na ovogodišnjem festivalu All Tomorrow’s Parties, kojeg je kurirao Jeff Mangum. Imaš li kakvih posebnih doživljaja s tog događaja?

Phil: Ako sam iskren, veliki festivali mi nisu baš po volji. Možda čak najmanje od svih alternativa za koncert. Riječ je o vrlo teškoj atmosferi, takvoj u kojoj se teško opustiti, u kojoj se teško suočiti s umjetnošću općenito. Za neke je bendove takvo okruženje naravno savršeno. Ja sam navikao na mirnije koncerte, gdje se ljudi mogu posve smiriti i čak su koju minutu pažljivi prema mojim čudnim idejama.

RockLine: Koga odnosno što bi mogao označiti kao svoje najveće utjecaje?

Phil: Uz već spomenute bendove još Eric’s Trip, pjesnici Cold Mountain i Gary Snyder, redatelj Terrence Malick te umjetnici Theodor Kittelsen i Harald Sohlberg.

RockLine: Moram nekako pitati – možda znaš gdje je Slovenija? Ima li kakve šanse da se zaustaviš kod nas na nekoj od svojih turneja?

Phil: Da, naravno da znam gdje je. Godine 2000. svirao sam bubnjeve u Ilirskoj Bistrici s Old Time Relijun. Zapravo je stražnja strana albuma »the Glow pt. 2«, ona s onim krovovima u zelenom svjetlu, snimljena baš u Ilirskoj Bistrici. Stvarno sam uživao tamo, jako mi se svidjelo. Također sam se vozio kroz Ljubljanu na turneji 2010., ali nažalost tada nismo imali koncert u Sloveniji. Jako bih volio jednom svirati i kod vas.

RockLine: Clear Moon i Ocean Roar su gotovi. Što sada?

Phil: Pa, nisu baš gotovi. Sada se moj svakodnevni život sastoji od oblikovanja naslovnica, uređivanja ploča, pakiranja, odlaženja na poštu, slanja raznih pošiljki, davanja intervjua itd. Također dogovaram turneju i vježbam s bendom. Posao koji dolazi nakon snimanja albuma zapravo je teži od onog prije, barem za operaciju koja uključuje samo jednog čovjeka, kao što je to u mom slučaju.

RockLine: Bi li možda htio još nešto dodati?

Phil: Hmm, ne mogu se sjetiti ničega. Hvala za intervju!

RockLine: Hvala i tebi!

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With Phil Elverum about Mount Eerie and his music while listening to rap and black metal (2012)

Phil Elverum has, as Mount Eerie, just recently released Clear Moon (review), which is, as its predecessor, getting extremely positive feedback from the media and from its listeners. Such a delicate mixture of lo-fi, indie folk and black metal can only be created by a wonderful mind, which is being dissected right here and now, exclusively by RockLine.

RockLine: To start off – how are you feeling with Clear Moon being out for a while, having its magical effect on its listeners for around 2 months now and receiving extremely positive feedback?

Phil: I feel great about it.  I am very happy with the record and so it’s just extra gratifying to have other people like it too.

RockLine: Clear Moon is, not unlike Wind’s Poem, a very intriguing and delicate mixture of indie folk and atmospheric black metal. How did you come across such a sound? What were your main influences for Wind’s Poem and Clear Moon?

Phil: I don’t usually think about music in that way, about what styles of music I’m trying to emulate.  I start with an idea for a very basic raw tone in my mind and I work towards that idea with whatever tools I have.  As for how I came across it, I don’t know the answer.  The ideas for these sounds just come into my head.  In some cases I do hear something and I am directly trying to copy it, but usually I”m trying to take small parts from each thing.  Some of the music I was listening to while making those records are Xasthur, Cocteau Twins, Menace Ruine, Leviathan, Sunn O))), My Bloody Valentine, Red House Painters, Julee Cruise, This Mortal Coil, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, etc.

RockLine: Ocean Roar is going to be some kind of a second part of the concept with Clear Moon being the first part. What can you tell us about that?

Phil: They are a pair of records.  The link between them is kind of abstract, but they go together.  The connection is something for people to feel themselves I guess.  In general, they are about the same idea, but they are just articulating the same idea with different words and tones.  Clear Moon is soft and drifting, Ocean Roar is a roar.

RockLine: As far as I understand, you’ve always played your songs as Mount Eerie live as a one-man band. Have you ever considered having a backing band to reproduce the sounds created on Wind’s Poem and Clear Moon?

Phil: I have had many different bands over the years.  I toured the world with a band for Wind’s Poem in 2009/2010.  Now I have a different band for these new songs and we’re going on tour soon.  I like to keep the live version always changing.

RockLine: I’ve seen you at this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in England, which was curated by Jeff Mangum. Have you any special experiences from that particular show?

Phil: Honestly, large festivals are not my favorite experience.  Maybe they are my least favorite experience actually.  It is a very difficult atmosphere to relax and take in music/art in any significant way.  It’s just too overwhelming.  But for other kinds of bands it seems perfect.  I am accustomed to mellower shows where it’s possible for people to calm down and pay attention to my weird idea for a minute.

RockLine: What would you say are your main influences in general?

Phil: Alongside with the aforementioned bands: Eric’s Trip, Cold Mountain (poet), Gary Snyder (poet), Terrence Malick (movies), Theodor Kittelsen (art), Harald Sohlberg (art).

RockLine: I have to ask – do you know where Slovenia is? Any chance of you stopping here on one of your next European tours?

Phil: Yes, of course.  I have played in Ilirska Bistrica back in 2000 when I played the drums in Old Time Relijun.  Actually the back cover to my record “the Glow pt. 2”, the rooftops in green light, that is taken there.  I loved it there.  I have also driven through Ljubljana with the Mount Eerie band in 2010, but we didn’t have a show unfortunately.  I would love to play there.

RockLine: Clear Moon and Ocean Roar are finished. What now?

Phil: They aren’t really finished.  Now my life every day is cutting and folding booklets, assembling records, packing orders, going to the post office, sending shipments, doing interviews, etc..  Plus, I’m booking the tours and having rehearsals for the band to play all these songs.  The work that comes after the album is recorded is much greater than actually making the music, at least for a one-man operation like me.

RockLine: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Phil: I can’t think of anything.  Thanks for the interview!

RockLine: Thank you!