Clear Moon

Clear Moon is the first of two albums to be released by Mount Eerie in 2012.[2] Sole member Phil Elverum described Clear Moon as the lighter of the two albums.[3] The album was recorded between October 3, 2010 and January 7, 2012 in Anacortes, Washington.[1] Elvrum cited Burzum, Terry Riley and Steve Reich as influences on the album.[3]

The first track released from Clear Moon, "House Shape" was released on March 22, 2012 on SoundCloud.[4] The second track released from the album was "Lone Bell," released on April 24, 2012 on SoundCloud.[5] On May 13, 2012, the album was streamed in its entirety on NPR Music.[6]

On October 17, 2012, Phil released a 7-inch single entitled "Clear Moon / Ocean Roar (Condensed Versions)". Side A consists of all the songs on Clear Moon played at once [7]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.9/10[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
The A.V. Club	B[10]
No Ripcord	8/10[11]
Pitchfork	8.3/10[12]
Spin	8/10[13]
Sputnikmusic	[14]

Clear Moon received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave Clear Moon' 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[8]

Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that "Elverum's meditation on the fact that life goes on within you and without you is thoughtful and thorough in a way few other songwriters could manage".[9] David Greenwald of The A.V. Club found that album was "meaningful without feeling personal." and that it was a "thunderous effort".[10] Sean Caldwell of No Ripcord wrote that "Elverum’s utilization of metallic and avant-garde elements into what might otherwise be considered a folk album demonstrates a songwriter unlimited by genre and also turned on by creative possibility".[11] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork wrote that "The album's sound, meanwhile has the misty-but-tactile feeling of a sense memory. Every sound echoes from side to side of the mix, and the effect isn't so much "panning" as it is a shimmering omnipresence".[12] "kingsoby1" of Sputnikmusic "The impressive thing about Clear Moon though is how truly organically rooted it is. The recording is still lo-fi, but not such that there is a lapse in quality. Elverum's recording techniques really enhance the compositions".[14]

All tracks are written by Phil Elverum.

• Official website