A Crow Looked at Me | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 24, 2017 | |||
Recorded | August 31 – December 6, 2016 | |||
Studio | Home recording, Anacortes, Washington | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:30 | |||
Label | P.W. Elverum & Sun | |||
Producer | Phil Elverum | |||
Mount Eerie chronology | ||||
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Singles from A Crow Looked at Me | ||||
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A Crow Looked at Me is the eighth studio album by Mount Eerie, the solo project of American musician Phil Elverum, released on March 24 2017 on Elverum's own label, P.W. Elverum & Sun. It is a concept album about the death of Elverum's wife, the Canadian cartoonist and musician Geneviève Castrée. The album was written and produced entirely by Elverum, who recorded it using mostly Castrée's instruments in the room in which she died. A departure from Elverum's previous work, A Crow Looked at Me features minimal production and sparse instrumentation alongside lyrics that tell of Castrée's illness and death, and Elverum's ensuing grief.
Prior to the release of the album, Elverum released two singles, "Real Death" and "Ravens", released on January 18, 2017, and February 15, 2017, respectively. A Crow Looked at Me was an immediate and widespread critical success, appearing on numerous year-end lists. In the years following its release, the album has appeared in multiple decade-end lists. Some critics found that due to the album's personal nature, reviewing it felt difficult and disrespectful.
Background and composition
In 2015, Phil Elverum's wife, Canadian cartoonist and musician Geneviève Castrée, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four months after the birth of their first child. Castrée died at their home in Anacortes, Washington on July 9, 2016.[1][2] Taking inspiration from the Gary Snyder poem "Go Now",[3] Elverum realised that he did not have to find any meaning in Castrée's death but could write songs that described the experience.[4] He also found inspiration in the work of Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron, American poet Joanne Kyger, American rock band Sun Kil Moon, Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård and American singer-songwriter Will Oldham whose 1996 album Arise Therefore was influential to the sound of the album, in particular its sparse production.[5][6][7][8] Elverum felt compelled to make the album as he found that the art he used to treasure was ineffective at helping him cope, saying to Donovan Burtan of Cult MTL that "all the things that used to bring me a sense of meaning and depth and comfort, all these books in the house of poetry, philosophy and everything — all of it was just empty and useless".[9]
"Songs in the future. No reverb. Close and direct. Dense with easy words. Don’t rely on hanging emotions or drawn-out notes. Engage the mind’s chewing teeth. Say everything as it is. No metaphors. Resist big-picture reflections." An example of the notes which Elverum wrote.[10]
After Castree's death, Elverum considered retiring from music as a whole and becoming a full time father but a trip to Haida Gwaii inspired him to write notes which would become the album (alongside the notes that he had written during Castrée's illness and treatment).[11][12] Elverum recorded the album from August 31, 2016 to December 6 of the same year at his house in Anacortes, Washington.[2][13] He wrote the songs over a six-week period[8] starting in September 2016.[11] He wrote the lyrics down longhand on her notepaper[14] and recorded the songs in the room where she died after previously abandoning the room and allowing nature to take it over.[15] Elverum credits recording in her room as the reason behind the "immediacy" and "bluntness" of the album.[16] He orginally intented to recorded the album with a band, live in a studio however found that the songs were too personal to have others contribute to them so he opted to do them himself instead.[8] Elverum used an acoustic guitar, one microphone and a laptop computer[11] alongside some of Castrée's own instruments.[17] Since he had become the primary carer for his daughter, Elverum recorded the songs at night while his daughter was asleep[a] or during times when she was visiting friends.[11] In an interview Elverum talked about how he would choose recording over self care: "I can either have a shower for the first time in, like, two weeks or I can write down these ideas that have been bursting in my head."[19]
The best thing about the past
is that it's over
when you die.
you wake up
from the dream
that's your life.
Then you grow up
and get to be post human
in a past that keeps happening
ahead of you
Joanne Kyger
Elverum stated that the songs "poured out quickly in the fall, watching the days grey over and watching the neighbors across the alley tear down and rebuild their house", with him filling the pages of his notebook with "formless, no-rhythm, no-meter, no-melody blob of words".[20][21] Elverum said he made and released the record in order to "multiply my voice saying that I love her. I want it known" and draw a distinction between "art and music versus the actual experience of life".[9][21] When writing the album Elverum intended for the songs to have a "sort of hyper-intimate, no restraint" quality to them and to be more philosophical in nature[22] but devoid of symbolism and distinct from the more existential themes of his earlier work.[23][24] Elverum revealed in an interview that he did not have a goal in mind while creating the album, saying instead that he was in an "unpremeditated way going with the flow".[9] He has also stated that he doesn't view the album as tribute or even being about Castrée believing if he were to make a tribute it would be ineffective at capturing who Castrée was, instead viewing the album as a documentation of his grief and of him "saying all the heavy stuff with no regard for other people’s sensitivity or unwillingness", detached from Castrée.[9][18][20] Elverum found the recording process as a positive, calling it "therapeutic" and saying it felt as if he was "hanging out with her [Castrée]" and feeling by the end as if he had healed.[25][26]
The cover of the album features a photograph of the Joanne Kyger[b] poem "Night Palace", which Castrée had pinned above her desk.[22] Elverum had taken the photograph while he was cleaning out her room after she died and realised that the poem encapsulated the theme of the album. Castrée's copy of Hergé's Tintin in Tibet can be seen in the background.[8] Castrée was close friends with Kyger.[22]
Music and lyrics
The lyrics are delivered in a speak-singing, conversational manner[28] and deal with Castrée's illness and death,[29] Elverum's ensuing grief,[30] and the idea of there being nothing to learn or gain from death.[31] Elverum's vocals were described by Tomas Guarna as "weak and shy" which "show us an artist that is completely consumed by a cruel, unforgiving world".[32] The words take the form of a diary with Elverum intending for each song to reflect a time in his grieving, and include references to specific events and dates throughout. Elverum said that "each song is anchored to a very specific moment".[10] Writer Thomas Britt wrote that this showcases "the way that death hangs over each day that follows".[29] Each song refers to Castrée, sometimes directly by name, Elverum frequently uses pronouns such as "our" when referring to Castrée despite her absence, one critic noted that this is because Elverum "struggles to adjust to the undesired change".[14][33] The final song "Crow" is however addressed prominently to their daughter.[30] The lyrics have been described to "combine emotional intimacy and tonal frankness to a degree rarely heard in contemporary music" and as "unspooling pieces of prose"[34][35] The songwriting has been described as "brilliant examples of breaking the fourth wall" and that the term itself does not align with the style of the material claiming it's "too precise", noting the blurred lines "between singing, speaking and raw emotional data dump."[30][36]
Opening track "Real Death" features spoken-word vocals which are "whispered from a void of hurt" as well as piano, electric guitar and drum accompainment.[37][38][39] The song concerns itself with the "impossibility of representing loss" and "the hopelessness that comes after the death".[32][40] The song features the opening lyrics, "death is real" with the theme continuing throughout the record (along with the phrase itself).[30][41][42] The song also introduces the theme of the album not being an artistic statement, with the lyrics "it's [death] not for singing about/It's not for making into art" Elverum clarifed that although the album is art the line is about "the difference between the idea of a thing and the actual lived experience of it".[39] Phillip Green of Cisternyard Media speculated that the reason behind Elverum's aversion is that to do so "would be taking advantage of Genevieve's passing".[33] The song also refers to Elverum opening mail packages addressed to Castrée that were delivered after her death, with one critic saying that the moment "limns the space between the living and the dead"[30]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/%22The_Gap%22_viewed_from_inside_Tasu_sound_-_panoramio.jpg/260px-%22The_Gap%22_viewed_from_inside_Tasu_sound_-_panoramio.jpg)
Elverum discusses scattering Castrée's ashes, the house they intended to build in Haida Gwaii and the fear of forgetting of the small details of Castrée's life such as her favourite flowers on "Seaweed".[37][43][44] It is composed of "warm" guitar plucking, "discordant" piano and "hollowed" bass.[38] The song also introduces the themes of Castrée's "Spiritual omnipresence", Castree "surviving" through their daughter and Elverum remembering her beyond the physical, choosing to immortalize her as the sunset, instead of as ashes.[c][33][42][45] Writer Molly Beauchemin stated that the song "stands apart for its crushing invocation of nature as a place of solace and refuge– a place to see purpose in the midst of loss"[46]
"Ravens" describes Elverum giving away Castrée's clothes as well as detailing Castrée's final days such as when Elverum was splitting wood and witnessed two "big black birds", understanding them to be an omen but unclear of what.[30][37][47] The song was inspired by Elverum's aforementioned trip to Hadai Gwaii, his illness during trip and the presence of ravens throughout Gwaii.[48] "Ravens" standing apart from the other songs features multiple tempo changes.[d][38] It has been described as the centrepiece of the album with its "hushed acoustic guitar, ominous piano notes, and stark reminders of Geneviève's absence"[49] Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork called the song a "seven-minute exploration of the horrors of this world".[50]
The track "Forest Fire" describes Elverum's feelings of death, decay, and absurdity in relation to the world around him.[51] As well as apologizing to Castrée for attempting to move on, going through her things and wondering how he will live without her.[31][32][52] The fire represents a sort of "cleansing", although of what is unclear.[17] Nitsuh Abebe of The New York Times described the song as a "perfectly accurate description of our actual world".[51] "Swims" details Elverum's experiences with grief counselling and the sudden death of his counsellor in light of Castrée's death. It was described by one reviewer as "one of the most heart wrenching songs created".[53] It features minimal guitars, simple piano chords, bass guitar, "lo-fi soundscapes" and what has been described as "Elverum's most naked vocal performance".[38][54]
"My Chasm" demonstrates Elverum's difficulty in talking about his loss in public and has been described as "a tribute to their everlasting love".[21][30] It features electronic instrumentation with piano accompaniment.[38] Elverum's vocal performance was described as having "identifiable pain" which is almost palpable.[38] "When I Take the Garbage Out At Night" invokes mundane imagery with one writer drawing comparisons to Sun Kil Moon's Benji.[28]
"Emptiness pt. 2" deals with the idea of "conceptual emptiness" with Elverum comparing his grief to "climbing up a mountain in complete loneliness".[32][2] The phrase "conceptual emptiness" is a reference to a song of his entitled "Emptiness" from his 2015 album Sauna.[36] Thomas Britt of PopMatters wrote that "This self-reflexive commentary reframes even the most powerful pictures of wind-hewn, frosted, blackened solitude in the past Microphones/Mount Eerie songbook as products of comparative comfort; luxuries of imagination".[29] Elverum discusses the fading familiar memories of Castrée on the song "Toothbrush/Trash" which has been described as a "horrible realization that time will not relent".[30] Conversely the song has been described as the "most uplifting track" on the album which conveys "the paradoxically happy and miserable state of acceptance".[55] Its sudden sound cue of a door closing (which Elverum recorded himself) was described by Brian Roesler as "a haunted chamber of memory and connection that now seems more real than ever".[38]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Theodor_Kittelsen%2C_Soria_Moria.jpg/260px-Theodor_Kittelsen%2C_Soria_Moria.jpg)
The track "Soria Moria" takes its name from a painting of the same name by Theodor Kittelsen, incorporates elements of black metal[42] and details Elverum's relationship with Castrée before her death as well as referencing Elverum's time in a Norwegian cabin, in which he wrote his 2008 album Dawn as well as interpolating the lyric "I went back to feel alone there" from his 2001 song "The Moon".[54][56] The lyrics of the song "[associate] a foggy, impassable distance with the taut sense of limbo associated with plain-facedly dealing with hospital chores".[45] "Soria Moria" is the only song on the album to come close to having anything which resembles a refrain.[57] Thomas Britt of PopMatters described the song and it's use of natural imagery as "one of the most vivid illustrations of Walter Benjamin’s concept of “aura" that I’ve ever encountered".[29] A live version of the song was used as the lead single for his 2018 live album (after).[58]
The final song "Crow" is addressed to his daughter as Elverum ponders all the ways in which Castrée lives on, such as a crow that was following them on a hike in the Pacific Northwest. It's the only song to have references to events beyond Elverum's life, as he describes the world as "Smoldering and fascist", comments which were inspired by the 2016 United States presidential election.[25] The titular crow is used in the song as a symbol of death representing death's encompassing grasp.[53] The song has been described as an "epilogue of sorts" which "offers a new and hopeful perspective" and as "One of the more poetic tracks on the album"[30][33]
Many of the lyrics feature references to nature[29] with one reviewer noting that "tragedy hasn't stopped [Elverum] from noticing the world; if anything, it seems to have pried his eyes open for good."[59] The lyrics also feature references to his past work with Elverum intending for the album to "correct" his "past years of songs" where he is "exploring the idea of death without really having a sense of the human experience of it.[24] Musically, the album is reminiscent of his 2008 work Lost Wisdom[2] with the songs featuring sparse instrumentation and songwriting with acoustic guitar, simple percussion, no choruses and "barely any melodies".[60][61] This was a result of Elverum wishing to move away from his earlier, more "artistically challenging" work, which was characterised by "harsh tones" and "complicated chords".[20]The sparse nature of the album lead to Elverum referring to the album as "barely music".[59] Throughout the songs Elverum leaves notes and chords unresolved such as the ending of "Seaweed" which hangs on a half-step descent.[62] The album is less musically dark in comparison to the rest of the Mount Eerie discography.[31] Elverum wanted to release the album quickly, so he used minimal production.[63] This was Elverum's first album to be entirely produced on a computer.[64]
Release and promotion
Elverum considered not releasing the album at all, or changing his band name entirely but ultimately decided to do neither.[10] He had originally planned for a small scale release of the record on his own website, but as the album took shape he felt that it was good and wanted it to reach a wider audience.[65] Despite this he still found releasing the album and promoting it to be "gross and weird from a lot of perspectives".[10] On January 5, 2017, he announced that he would go on tour, and release a new album.[66] The next day, he played his first concert since September 2014 at a record store in Anacortes, Washington entitled The Business.[67] Elverum, while choosing to perform, also asked fans to stay away as the response was "overwhelming" and the store could only hold 50 people.[68] The store owner also requested that no recordings take place and for the audience to be respectful and seated.[67] Elverum performed the show with his eyes closed in the corner of the room, leaving immediately afterwards.[67][69] The show was noticeably sparse featuring no mic or amplification with Elverum using only his acoustic guitar.[67] Music critic Eric Grandy described the show as "heavy and awkward and weird" but also that it "felt supportive and cathartic and necessary" noting the crowd's emotional reaction.[67]
The first single from A Crow Looked at Me, "Real Death", was released on P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.'s SoundCloud page on January 18, 2017, to widespread acclaim, netting the "Best New Track" distinction from Pitchfork.[70][71] The second single, "Ravens", was released on February 15, 2017, alongside a music video uploaded to Mount Eerie's official YouTube account, again earning the "Best New Track" distinction from Pitchfork.[71][50] Following the release of the album, Elverum embarked on a North American tour in September 2017, playing solo shows accompanied only by his acoustic guitar in intimate venues that included "concert halls, churches, and theaters".[72] The tour was extended to include Europe in November 2017.[73] While performing at Jacobikerk as part of Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht, a sound engineer recorded Elverum's set without his knowledge. Elverum liked the recording so much that it was subsequently released as the live album (after) in 2018.[74]
The tour received critical acclaim. Jochan Embley of The Independent awarded the show performed at St John on Bethnal Green church five stars and wrote that Elverum "plays and sings with such softness and space that you can hear the hum of his monitors as he does so".[75] Adam O'Sullivan of the Evening Standard described the show as "something truly remarkable, truly honest and something that those in attendance are unlikely ever to see again".[76] Woody Delaney of Loud and Quiet praised the show performed at Left Bank, Leeds calling it an "experience so human, it serves to remind the audience to cherish the fragility of life, and more immediately the person sat next to them".[77] Aaron Badgley of Spill Magazine praised the show at the Great Hall, Toronto, Canada calling it "one of the most memorable performances" he has seen and concluding that "to have the opportunity to see him do this live was one of those rare instances in life when you witnessed something truly important on stage".[78] Sarah Greene of Now Toronto echoed similar sentiments describeing the show as "painfullly intimate" and stating that "In his solo performance, Phil Elverum showed that both songwriting and grieving are an ongoing process".[79] Braeden Halverson of Spotlight Ottawa wrote in his review for the show performed at St Albans Church that "seeing Phil live was one of the most unique, serene and emotionally impactful concert experiences I have had, and probably will ever have" but noted that it was "difficult to say that I received enjoyment out of it".[80]
Elverum found that due to the personal nature of the songs touring was difficult, saying it felt like he was "going out there and re-enacting a trauma and charging people money for it" and criticising the sense of voyeurism the audience part took in.[20] Elverum also did several interviews[e] which he found to be "mentally draining", although he did admit that he treated them as pseudo-therapy sessions noting how they were different from a typical PR campaign.[81]
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.8/10[82] |
Metacritic | 93/100[83] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | A−[84] |
Consequence of Sound | A−[17] |
Exclaim! | 9/10[85] |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Paste | 9.2/10[87] |
Pitchfork | 9.0/10[59] |
PopMatters | 10/10[29] |
Uncut | 9/10[88] |
Vice (Expert Witness) | A[89] |
Critical reception
A Crow Looked at Me received widespread critical acclaim upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 93, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 18 reviews.[83] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave A Crow Looked At Me 8.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[82] Elverum found the album's reception "reaffirming", but was frustrated by those who viewed it as a tribute to his wife and felt uneasy about the album being public at all.[4][9] Heather Phares from AllMusic called the album "remarkably powerful and pure".[42] Consequence of Sound's David Sackllah said that it was "overwhelming and humbling" and wrote that "A Crow Looked at Me stands as a remarkable example of the restorative power of music, an intimate display of love, daring both in concept and execution."[17] Zack Fenech from Exclaim! said that "this record possesses immense power to make listeners reflect on their own relationships and mortality. A Crow Looked at Me is a grim memento of the grand injustice of losing those most precious to us."[85] Paste's Matt Fink said that it was "beautifully and simply arranged, but it is not an entertaining album to listen to in any conventional sense, nor can it be shaken off easily. It is, however, the kind of album that makes all others seem frivolous" and that "there is no album quite like it."[87]
Ben Malkin from GIGsoup described the album "art in its most pure, human form", a "showcase of weakness and cruel reality, prose of lost love," and "perhaps the saddest album ever made".[90] In his review for Spectrum Culture John Paul said that "Heartbreaking doesn't even begin to describe A Crow Looked at Me" and described the album as "pure grief delivered in a voice in which you can hear the weight of loss".[28] Jacopo Sanna of Arena Music claimed that A Crow Looked at Me is "probably the most important album about death and loss ever recorded".[91] Sarah Greene writing for Now Toronto described A Crow Looked At Me as "a lovingly crafted album, with gentle melodies that linger in the air, pretty, memorable guitar lines and a subtle but persistent approach to percussion" and concluded that despite it may being an uncomfortable and harrowing listen it was also a "tribute to an amazing 13-year love story".[2] Brian Roesler, from Treblezine, despite enjoying the record considerably, demanded that readers "Don't call it art. Don't call it music even. Call it a documentation of suffering and loss as an experience, and treat it as such".[38][f] In a essay written for The Spinoff, Murdoch Stephens compared A Crow Looked At Me to the poetry of Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi and pondered how the listener should interact with a piece of art of such a visceral nature. He called Elverum "the saddest musician in the world".[92] Elverum would go on to denounce the title, calling it absurd and that he sought out to inject beauty into the record.[4]
Some reviewers said that it was difficult to review the album. In his positive review for Drowned in Sound, JR Moores did not give the album a score because "even awarding this work the full ten-out-of-ten would feel too callous given the tragic circumstances of the record's gestation and its heartbreaking subject matter."[93] Reviewer Matthew Smith of No Ripcord said that "assigning a score to a project like this is reductive...it's almost insulting to rank something as open and raw as this."[94] PopMatters reviewer Thomas Britt called the album a "masterpiece" but noted that it went beyond "the limits of conventional music criticism."[29] Marvin Lin from Tiny Mix Tapes did score the album but said that his rating meant "absolutely nothing".[14] Lucas Koprowski from Atwood Magazine wrote that "Breaking down any of these tracks for you would not only disrespect the meaning behind this album, but force you to swallow my interpretation of his words into a silence that is bottomless and real."[95] While reviewing a live performance of the album Jochan Embley of The Independent commented that it "feels weird giving a star rating to another human's honest and unshrinking account of loss".[75]
Fan reception
In an interview with Pitchfork, Elverum recalled how fans reached out to him, relating to his story: "People have reached out in a new way. It happens in letters and emails, but also at the merch table. At almost every show, actually, someone would come up to me with tears in their eyes". Initially, Elverum found the interactions to be helpful and "mutually beneficial" however over time he began to find them overwhelming feeling as if he was failing those who sought help from him by not wishing to be a "hub of sorrow".[96][97]
Sarah Greene of Now Toronto commented on the disconnect between Elverum's audience at a live show and the deeply personal nature of the show writing:
the unsettling part of the show was: where does his adoring, emotional audience fit into all of it? On the one hand, being there and buying his merch may be the best way a fan can support the now single dad; but on the other, it points to the complicated relationship between deeply personal struggles and commerce, the merchandise we are left with after the fact. [79]
Accolades
A Crow Looked at Me appeared on numerous year-end top lists.[98] Such as The Atlantic,[99] Consequence of Sound,[100] Earbuddy,[101] Exclaim!,[102] Paste,[103] and Tiny Mix Tapes.[104] The lead single "Real Death" was third on Pitchfork's list of 100 "Best Songs" of 2017.[105] Metacritic, which collates reviews of music albums, named it the second best-reviewed album of 2017,[98] the seventh best reviewed album of the decade[106][g] and the fifteen best reviewed album of all time.[107] According to Acclaimed Music, the album is eleventh most critically album of 2017, eightieth of the 2010s and eight hundred twenty-sixth of all time.[108][h] The album is the eleventh highest rated album on AnyDecentMusic?.[110]
Publication | Accolade | Rank |
---|---|---|
The Atlantic | The 10 Best Albums of 2017 | 6[99] |
Clash | Clash Albums Of The Year 2017 | 54[111] |
Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2017 | 8[100] |
Earbuddy | Earbuddy's 100 Best Albums of 2017 | 1[101] |
Exclaim! | Top 10 Folk and Country Albums of 2017 | 2[102] |
Fact | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 14[112] |
The Guardian | The Best Albums Of 2017 | 47[113] |
Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 9[103] |
Pigeons & Planes | Best Albums of 2017 | 32[114] |
Popmatters | The 60 Best Albums of 2016 | 24[115] |
Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 14[116] |
Noisey | The 100 Best Albums of 2017 | 23[117] |
No Ripcord | The Best Albums Of 2017 | 11[118] |
NPR | The 50 Best Albums Of 2017 | 31[119] |
Spectrum Culture | Top 20 Albums of 2017 | 12[120] |
Spin | 50 Best Album of 2016 | 23[121] |
Sputnikmusic | Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2017 | 14[122] |
Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 10[123] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | 2017: Favorite 50 Music Releases | 1[104] |
Under the Radar | Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2017 | 19[124] |
The Village Voice | The Top 100 Albums of 2017 | 15[125] |
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
All Things Loud | All Things Loud's Album Of The Decade | 18
|
|
The Argonaut | Looking Back and Determining The Best Albums of the Decade | 3
|
|
Consequence Of Sound | Top 100 Albums of the 2010s | 54
|
|
Pitchfork | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 45
|
|
Portland Mercury | The Top 5 Albums of the 2010s (According to Mercury Editorial Staff) | N/A[i]
|
|
Noisey | The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s | 17
|
|
Melisma Magazine | Our Favourite Albums of the 2010s | N/A[j]
|
|
Metacritic | The Best Albums of the Decade (2010–2019) | 7
|
|
Tiny Mix Tapes | 2010s: Favorite 100 Music Releases of the Decade | 22
|
|
Treblezine | Top 150 Albums of the 2010s | 32
|
Legacy
Simon Kirk from music review site Getintothis called the album and its companion piece Now Only "seminal".[135] Adam Nizum of Paste magazine described the album as "Historic".[136] Thomas Britt of Popmatters called A Crow Looked at Me "one of the most remarkable folk albums ever produced".[137] David Connolly of Odyssey wrote that "no other [album] really captures loss of a loved one in quite the same manner".[138] Sean Nelson of The Stranger called A Crow Looked at Me "an astonishing artistic and human achievement" which "makes beggars" of similar art that deals with bearvement and grief such as Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse, Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking, Lou Reed's Magic and Loss and Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven by its frank and literal depiction of death and grief.[139] Music Critic Brendan Frank called the album a "must-listen" "for anyone who was ever remotely interested in Mount Eerie or the Microphones".[140] Jacob Nierenberg writing for Treblezine listed the album as one the of "10 Essential Home-Recorded Albums".[141] Donovan Farley of Willamette Week chose opening track "Real Death" as one of Elverum's "essential" songs with Morgan Enos choosing "Swims" in his ranking of Elverum's essential songs for Billboard.[142][143]
American rapper Danny Brown labelled the album as his favourite of 2017. Elverum thanked Brown and stated that his recommendation was "more valuable (in real money sales) than the New York Times[']".[144] Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast fame chose A Crow Looked at Me as one of the five albums that changed her life telling Tidal: "I’ve never heard something so personal, so vulnerable and just very sad. I related to it so much, and I felt like he expressed things and described moments between [his wife and him] that resonated with me and my own experience losing my mother".[145] Writer Max Porter praised the album saying that "[The album] is so immaculately beautiful. It is so caring and sweet and soft and sad. There could not have been a better pairing [with Grief Is The Thing With Feathers.]"[146] Gus Lobban of Kero Kero Bonito compared the central theme of the A Crow Looked at Me to the central theme of Time 'n' Place, Kero Kero Bontio's second studio album: "It’s an example of a record by an artist who is exploring darker themes in front of a wider audience, defining this zeitgeist of people talking about depression. Time ‘n’ Place is informed by similar things to a record like that."[147] Gilles Demolder of black metal band Oathbreaker praised the album, looking to it for inspiration and crediting the album with helping him see that "acoustic guitar and words can be so much heavier than anything i've heard before".[148]
Track listing
All tracks are written and produced by Phil Elverum.[93][149]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Real Death" | 2:27 |
2. | "Seaweed" | 3:01 |
3. | "Ravens" | 6:39 |
4. | "Forest Fire" | 4:15 |
5. | "Swims" | 4:07 |
6. | "My Chasm" | 2:22 |
7. | "When I Take Out the Garbage at Night" | 2:25 |
8. | "Emptiness pt. 2" | 3:28 |
9. | "Toothbrush/Trash" | 3:52 |
10. | "Soria Moria" | 6:33 |
11. | "Crow" | 2:21 |
Total length: | 41:30 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Cult MLT.[9][150]
- Phil Elverum – songwriting – vocals – production – acoustic guitar – electric guitar – drum machine – bass – piano – accordion
- John Golden – Mastering, Lacquer Cut
- Other [Poem By] – Joanne Kyger
Release history
Region | Label | Format | Category | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | P. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. | Double LP, Digital Download | ELV040 | [151] |
Japan | P. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. | CD | EPCD101 | [151] |
Notes
- ^ Elverum recorded some of the songs with her sleeping 10 feet away.[18]
- ^ Kyger died of lung cancer two days before the album's release.[27]
- ^ Elverum also remembers her as a foxglove in Haida Gwaii and a fly in his house.[31]
- ^ "Soria Moria" also features tempo changes.[38]
- ^ Elverum was at one point doing five interviews in one day.[81]
- ^ A sentiment echoed by Elverum himself.[59]
- ^ Its appearance on the list made it the highest rated folk album of the decade.[106]
- ^ The tenth-highest ranking for an indie folk album.[109]
- ^ Albums aren't ranked in a chronological numbered order.
- ^ Albums aren't ranked in a chronological numbered order.
References
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- ^ A Crow Looked at Me (Media notes). Phil Elverum. P. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. 2017.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "A Crow Looked At Me by Mount Eerie". P.W. Elverum And Sun. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
External links
- A Crow Looked at Me at Discogs (list of releases)