Mount Eerie, Nice 'n' Sleazy, 21 May

The endearing Phil Elverum returns to Glasgow for the first time since last Septmber’s Ocean Roar, in which he and others put in further work on a sound owing as much to Stephen O’Malley as it does to R. Stevie Moore. Accompanying him and his electric twelve-string are two bassists and a drum pad. It’s a taciturn crowd that’s gathered up front, and no wonder – watching Elverum at work is pretty intense stuff. The outfit he has assembled are one that attempt to physically inhabit their sound, and in doing so, carve out something personal and relevant to the moment.

This works well. The body-language, the speech, and the movement between the four give away a shared sensitivity, a conscious desire to breathe as much life into the set as possible. It lends the airy harmonies a width that lifts listeners above the mist evoked by the deep reverb of Elverum’s guitar. It imbues the Earth-esque drones with a powerful urgency. The resulting sound is masterfully crafted – something you feel bad about enjoying all at once, and a pleasant, if not totally unexpected surprise when compared to the lo-fi scuzz of the records.