Customer Reviews

(a)spera

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At first known as little more than a key contributor to Phil Elverum's The Microphones albums, Portland-based songwriter Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn (but you can call her Mirah) has since carved out a nice niche for herself in the world of female experimentalists, her latest release, (a)spera, being her most revealing - and strangest - offering yet.

Back in 2002, when Elverum looked to be the next king and her crew of cast members seemed poised to follow, Mirah released the Elverum-produced Advisory Committee, her second release for K Records. Full of imagination, big productions and amazing vocal performances (think Bjork, but American and far more tame), the album worked as a perfect extension of Camp Elverum, working both as a critic's darling and a fanbase-builder. (Album opener "Cold, Cold Water" stands as one of this writer`s favorite productions of the decade.) Two years later came the hotly anticipated follow-up, C'mon Miracle, a decent enough record that saw Elverum stepping back a bit and Mirah stepping up. The arrangements were - for the most part - simple and straight, almost the stuff of standard indie pop music. The five years since have seen Mirah taking her time crafting (a)spera, her fourth proper solo album, along the way releasing a b-sides disc, a remix album and a side project with an orchestra.

Enter Mirah's (a)spera era. Due to the long wait between proper albums, much attention has already been paid to this record - most of which has resulted in confused coverage. Fittingly so. Even if you're very familiar with all of Mirah's past work, (a)spera comes as a bit of a surprise. Gone are the Elverum hallmarks. Gone are the proper hints at pop structure or even any clear attention to current indie/hipster trends. This is, pimples and all, an artistic coming out party. No longer can her success be shared with Elverum or anyone else - even if Elverum and others do still help out on a handful of tunes. The vocals, best described as "quirky," "dreamy" and, well, "Feistian," sound the same as ever. Backed by everything from string arrangements to minimalist lo-fi productions, the 11 tunes here are all very unique from one another, challenging the listener at every turn. Sure, you could group Mirah with St. Vincent and Feist, but that might prove confusing to more commercial minded ears. This is subtle, earthy, experimental music that is at times almost Amos-like in its weirdness.

Enough listens will do the trick. These never obvious constructions eventually arrive - not much different than some of Elverum's work - as moody, lovable mini-epics. Art pieces. Coupled with Mirah's literate writing, the compositions here could very likely make (a)spera one of 2009's grad school standards.

Only a few tracks really caught my attention at fist, but after giving it a good listen, I realized all the tracks are GREAT. This album has a different tone than her previous releases. It is more mellow, deep, and incorporates other instruments. It's really good! Highlights for me are: "Generostity", "Education", "Shells", "The World is Falling", and "Bones & Skin". I love all her albums (my least fav. is Joyride) and they all have a place. If I'm driving or want to bounce around a bit, put some skip in my step, I listen to the album "You think it's like this...". But if I'm studying and need some mellow tracks in the background or want to just sit in the damp under a tree and breathe, this is the album I'll pop in.

If you're in the Closet with a broom, why don't you sweep around the room?

I'll start this by saying I'm a fan of Mirah's early work; Advisory Committee is one of my all-time favorite albums. This album, however, does not seem to pack the intensity of those earlier works. It is pretty mellow throughout, which is okay, but the end result is that it feels incomplete. This CD will definitely not see the rotation that You Say It's Like This... and Advisory Committee sees from me. I find that unfortunate, because I really wanted to like this one more than I do.

I am a very big Mirah fan and this is one of my top two favorites of her's. The lyrics and music have her special touch of magic. Each song works well in compilation with the others, to give a great overall work of art that i never get tired of listening to.

I had the privilege of seeing her play a number of these songs live! What a moving experience! I had bought my two brothers each a record after the show and then I didn't have enough cash (cash only at the time) to buy myself one- so I was SOL. I got this record with a gift card I received for my birthday and I'm super excited about it. While there's still a couple Mirah vinyl I have yet to add to my collection, I have a few now and right now, this one is my favorite. Yeah! Even more than Come On Miracle! And that's saying quite a bit.

Music is fantastic, however it was very poorly packaged and arrived warped. don't mind this on the 20 year old vinyls I have, but not brand new ones.