Clearly Eerie

On 2003’s “Mount Eerie,” back when Phil Elvrum released music as The Microphones, he asked, “How many times have I made up this song before?”

What seemed like unfounded insecurity nine years ago seems like a good question today. Elvrum’s mythological discography is full of deviations and reimaginations, but “Clear Moon” feels more like a final draft of previous ideas.

Nevertheless, his frank lyrics hit home, and it’s still amazing how he captures nature in his music. Sheets of strummed guitar sound like rain on a rooftop. Organs loom like fog. The songwriting is solid, if familiar.

The album is a pristine revision of Elvrum’s work, but his glow is starting to fade. Don’t get me wrong, majesty is to be heard on “Clear Moon.” Elvrum aficionados will find plenty to love, but casual listeners won’t miss what they can find better and rawer on “Mount Eerie” and “Wind’s Poem.”

By Patrick Beane