CAS junior never even HEARD of Mountain Whisper

The+debut+EP+of+the+influential+band+Mountain+Whisper.

The debut EP of the influential band Mountain Whisper.

Oil Spiel, Arts Editor

Mountain Whisper, the three-piece shoegraze, glo-fi band, made waves during a period of time between mid 2009 and late 2009. The band is mostly recognized for their singles “If Everybody In The World Dropped Out of School We Would Have a More Intelligent Society” and “I Don’t Know If Last Night Was A Dream Or Not” off of their five-song EP, “How Can Our Mirrors Be Real If Our Eyes Aren’t Real.” Despite the fame Mountain Whisper earned throughout their storied career, predominantly due to their extensive social media efforts on MySpace, Carter Morgan, a junior in the College of Arts and Science, has never heard of them.

“I can honestly say that I have never heard of or listened to Mountain Whisper; I don’t really keep up much with new music,” Morgan said. “I’m a pre-med major, so most of my time is spent in Bobst, trying to figure out organic chemistry.”

Despite this, one must ask if it is really possible for her to have not once heard of the band. During Mountain Whisper’s enormously influential run, the three-piece was featured on music blogs such as “Beware of the Blog” and “Such Loud Noise,” establishing its position as one of the preeminent bands of the decade. The band paved the way for future glo-fi and shoegraze acts to develop, including Yellow Ostrich, ZAZA and The Prids, who credit Mountain Whisper as their main influences. Glo-fi artists, including Neon Indian and Idiot Glee, also cite them as a major influence. Despite the immense popularity that Mountain Whisper garner in the glo-fi and shoegraze communities, Morgan still could not draw a connection to knowing about the band. It is almost as if he lives under a rock.

“I like rock music, some rap too,” Morgan said, spewing words from his big, dumb face. “I mean from time to time I listen to my hometown’s college radio station. Usually when I’m home for break and need to drive somewhere.”

Since their breakup in 2010, Mountain Whisper has become one of the most important groups ever to come from the New York area — maybe even the world— making it even more difficult to understand how Morgan has not heard of the band, as he is a native New Yorker.

“I guess I just have more important priorities in my life right now,” Morgan said. “Isn’t being really into music is kind of high school anyway?”

Clearly Morgan’s priorities are different — one might even say wrong. Either way, given the news that Mountain Whisper will be reuniting for a one-night stint at the Knitting Factory, it is doubtful that Morgan will be able to avoid the band’s popularity for much longer, and it is unbelievable that he could in the first place.

When asked for what his favorite band was, Morgan said “I dunno, maybe Hozier?” Talk about unbelievable.

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, April 1 print edition. Email Oil Spiel at [email protected].