The Decade List: The Glow, Pt. 2 (2001)

The Microphones - The Glow, Pt. 2

To call The Glow, Pt. 2 the quintessential 2000s "concept album" for the manic depressive twentysomething would sell it short. I'm not certain of the "concept" it's applying nor if that term is even appropriate. It is, like Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, nearly unimaginable to listen to in shuffle form, aside from maybe a track or two. And, like In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, unfathomably brilliant in its audio landscape. I don't really gather up the energy to listen to The Glow, Pt. 2 more than once a year, but it's never because I'm afraid it won't function within me the same way it always has. It's because The Glow, Pt. 2 stings, and it takes you somewhere you're not sure you'd want to go on a regular basis. You might say the same about PJ Harvey's White Chalk, but The Glow, Pt. 2 is more of an expedition than a seclusion. The Microphones, essentially a one-man project from Washington-native Phil Elvrum, would follow The Glow, Pt. 2 with the (even) more experimental Mount Eerie before retiring the name and adopting his last album as the new moniker. It's a rare, glorious gift to the headphone-set (as opposed to the iPod crew).

Track List

1. I Want Wind to Blow
2. The Glow, Pt. 2 [apparently the glitches at the beginning are intentional in the video]
3. The Moon
4. Headless Horseman
5. My Roots Are Strong and Deep
6. Instrumental
7. The Mansion
8. (Something)
9. (Something)
10. I'll Not Contain You
11. The Gleam, Pt. 2
12. Map
13. You'll Be in the Air
14. I Want to Be Cold
15. I Am Bored
16. I Felt My Size
17. Instrumental
18. I Felt Your Shape
19. Samurai Sword
20. My Warm Blood

I'm pretty sure all the videos are fan-made, and really, singling out tracks is not ideal. In fact, I wouldn't even recommend watching any of the videos above as they sort of take away the magic of your own imagination... However, I thought it helpful to include some of the audio in this post. Alas...