Phil Elvrum has broken up.That is to say the Elvrum-led Microphones, essentially a one-man experimental indie group, have ceased to exist. But they will continue to record under the name Mount Eerie, which is also the title of their most recent album. While seemingly pretentious, this isn't particularly out of character for the Microphones, whose rsum includes an extended metaphor stretched over four albums, culminating in last year's Mount Eerie, a Pink Floyd-esque operetta detailing an existential vision-quest and ascension of the mountain in its title.

Although a "concept band" might sound self-indulgent, Elvrum has always provided a balance with his warm-sounding lo-fi production and an affinity for writing short, quirky pop songs.

Assembled from a series of shows recorded last January, Live in Japan is simultaneously the final Microphones album and first Mt. Eerie one, and it serves to reconcile the two diverging sounds. Thematically, Elvrum is concerned with resolving the ambiguities left by Mount Eerie, but with a more heartfelt and less figurative lyrical style. Musically, Live in Japan is his least experimental endeavor. While much of the album might remind one of the whimsical pop of The Glow, pt. 2, the third and best Microphones album, it also moves into more straight-forward musical territory previously alien to the group. Regardless, the disc contains some of Elvrum's most mature material to date, and it is astounding to think that it was recorded just as Mount Eerie was released.

About half of the album finds Elvrum alone with his acoustic guitar, and it is these songs that cling most closely to the Microphones' sound. The album's opener, "Great Ghosts," tells of Elvrum's emergence from Mount Eerie, only to reveal that despite its dramatic conclusion, there have been no great revelations. He sings: "And as you can see/ having descended the hill/ I still look like me/ I still wallow like Phil." For the first time, Elvrum is human, confronting the same howling inner demons as the rest of us. The equally sorrowful "The Blow, pt. 2" is a throwback to the structural themes explored in the albums It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water and The Glow, pt. 2, and perfectly displays Elvrum's talent for writing pop songs outside of the traditional verse-chorus format.

For much of the show, Elvrum is accompanied by label-mate Kyle Field and K Records owner Calvin Johnson (both of whom played characters-"Death" and "Universe," respectively-on Mount Eerie.) Elvrum has always impressively combined simplicity and artistry, and "Universe Conclusion" is no exception. Perhaps the most surprising and enjoyable Microphones song since The Glow, pt. 2, it is a sprawling 11-minute epic, built around the repeated background vocals (and yodels) of Field and Johnson. For the first time, Elvrum shows off as a musician and not just as a songwriter. The electric guitar-a rarity for the Microphones-plays well against the melodica, piano and drums, and the group also includes silence as an instrument, with musical pauses intelligently placed to build tension in the composition. This is the closest the Microphones have ever come to jamming, and the song's looseness is a welcome contrast to the structurally tight sound of their past records.

The new Mount Eerie sound owes a lot to the current alt-country resurgence, as well. In "Climb Over," Elvrum plays storyteller, borrowing from contemporary indie folk-country groups like Bright Eyes and My Morning Jacket. The erratic guitar of "I Have Been Told That My Skin Is Exceptionally Smooth" is reminiscent of experimentalist Jim O'Rourke. Album-closer, "Thanksgiving," seems to reference alt-country originators Uncle Tupelo, not to mention the father of it all, Neil Young (who is very conspicuously name-checked in the song "After N. Young.")
Live in Japan is far from perfect, however. Teases of "My Favorite Things" and "Silent Night" may have been amusing during the actual concerts, but considering that the album only has 11 songs, they function as mere filler here. Without the fuzzy segues Elvrum usually pieces together in the studio, many of the songs sound incomplete, too.
Live in Japan is most obviously unique from typical live albums because it is comprised completely of new material. While not the best thing The Microphones have released, it serves as a blueprint. Elvrum has shown fans that despite a reserved, sorrowful tone, the future looks bright.