The Microphones are an American rock band from Olympia, Washington that have featured a number of members over the years, with Phil Elverum being the primary songwriter and member since their inception in 1996. Over the years, the Microphones have released five studio albums, their first four being released from 1999 to 2003. 

As time has gone by and the Microphones disbanded in 2003 outside of a few reunions, many from the indie scene have appreciated the Microphones for the interesting indie rock and folk music they’ve created. Many of the group’s albums have been critically acclaimed, especially their third studio album The Glow Pt. 2. 

On August 6th, Elverum surprisingly released the fifth studio album under the Microphones named titled Microphones in 2020. Microphones in 2020 is a single 44-minute and 44-second track, which features an entire performance by Elverum on guitar, percussion, vocals, organs, piano, and bass. On top of being a lengthy track, it’s a visual album with a hand placing various photos from the years on top of one another with the lyrics presented at the bottom. It’s an interesting concept that seized my thought as soon as I watched it.

The video is alike to a flipbook or slideshow, which isn’t very common in the music world, especially for a music video. Upon release, Microphones in 2020 captivated critics for its harsh reality of time passing and recollection of where time has gone. It’s an engrossing one-track album that draws us in with sonorous and layered lyricism. Elverum has proved yet again what an immaculate and unique musician he is. The video for Microphones in 2020 is above, be sure to watch it if you haven’t already.