There is a truth in simply saying the thing as it is (“death is real”). There is a similar and incongruent honesty in seeing the layer in the saying, in singing it. There is a second truth in the smokes that come from fires. Lost Wisdom pt. 2 possesses both strains of truth.

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Exclaim!

The most remarkable thing about this new album, other than the gravity that pulls their voices back to such a familiar emotional place, is how Elverum manages to merge his recent more plainspoken diary style with the elegiac and alchemical metaphors of his early voice.

In spite of those fleeting moments of discord, Lost Wisdom Pt. 2 is an extraordinarily rewarding listen.

The duo’s second collaboration is marked by a newfound sense of hope.

Instead of completely wallowing in sadness, he picks up the broken, scattered pieces of his heart and attempts to piece them together for listeners so they may continue to always believe in love.

Northern Transmissions

Lost Wisdom, PT. 2 is another heartbreaking collection of songs from Mount Eerie.

Lost Wisdom Pt. 2 finds Elverum once again reunited with Doiron, singer of the Canadian band Eric’s Trip, and once again picking up the pieces of his life.

Lyrically, Lost Wisdom pt. 2 reads as a sequel not to part one but to A Crow Looked at Me and Now Only.

Though it's a smaller-scale work than either A Crow Looked at Me or Now Only, Lost Wisdom pt. 2 is filled with just as much insight and compassion.

After two heart-rending albums about the death of his wife, Phil Elverum documents a new kind of heartbreak in a set of duets with Julie Doiron.

Despite their relatively brief joint-resume, Elverum and Doiron work together with an intimacy that conveys a lifetime of collaboration and creation.

Lost Wisdom pt. 2, in its refreshing candour, exhibits two artists at the peak of their songwriting.

A set of disconcertingly painful songs about the end of his first relationship after the death of his wife finds Phil Elverum at sea in sadness.

Though not quite closure, ‘Lost Wisdom Pt. 2’ is the sound of Mount Eerie reaching clarity.

With meandering melodies and directionless songwriting, Mount Eerie teams up with Julie Doiron for a sequel to 2008's Lost Wisdom that pales in comparison to the original.

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Mathieux

Me: "Not" by Big Thief is the best rock song of the year!
Phil: "Widows"

Phil Elverum is an extremely prolific musician and singer, compulsively creative, and this flow has only been slightly slowed down by the upheavals he has experienced in the last five years (the birth of a child, the death of his wife, a marriage with a new woman, and then a divorce). The frankness with which he composes his music makes it inhabited by all the wounds and routines that accompanied these ... read more

3y*

SnowyFighter

This is so pretty Pt. 201

I feel like this is just a good continuation of Lost Wisdom. While I like the original Lost Wisdom better, this is still a really great handful of tracks. Love Without Possession hit me especially hard as being my favorite out of the track listing. Belief is also a really great opener, and it just felt refreshing hearing them sing together again. I just think this is another great set of songs from Phil and Julie.

Belief - 9
When I Walk out of the Museum - ... read more

cavan

when's that darn elverum gonna find his gosh damn wisdom again??,?

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awayfromthesprawl

If the Elverum-Doiron pairing worked well before, it's even better here on this 11-years-later sequel album. The last main Phil album I had yet to hear in my Microphones / Mount Eerie journey, this is such a sweet note to end on. Incredibly simple but with so much depth and soul to both the lyricism and gorgeous vocal performances. I'm incredibly excited to hear how the Mount Eerie project evolves from here, whenever that may be and in whatever shape it may take.

Favourites: Widows, Love ... read more

2mo

DAVECHER

(edit: 85 ----> 76)

This is probably Phil's most "stream-of-consciousness" heavy album yet… which adds to the album's charm, but also leaves me feeling like some of these songs are unfinished.

2mo*