Mirah

Product Details

* Audio CD (March 19, 2002)
* Original Release Date: 2002
* Number of Discs: 1
* Label: K. Records
* ASIN: B000060OLS
* Average Customer Review: based on 16 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,973 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #35,643 in Music

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1. Cold Cold Water Listen Listen
2. After You Let Listen Listen
3. Make It Hot Listen Listen
4. Mt. St Helens Listen Listen
5. Recommendation Listen Listen
6. Body Below Listen Listen
7. The Sun Listen Listen
8. Advisory Committee Listen Listen
9. Special Death Listen Listen
10. The Garden Listen Listen
11. Light The Match Listen Listen
12. Apples In The Trees Listen Listen
13. Monument Listen Listen
14. Bonus Track 1 Listen Listen
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Indie chanteuse Mirah continues to lead listeners through sonic tunnels; her second album, Advisory Committee, brims with love songs for strong, nomadic hearts. Often, what starts as a folk ditty ends as a sonorous whirlwind, and the trip is almost spiritual. Mirah's guileless, Edie Brickell-ish vocal prowess is the only constant, the calm inside the storm. Advisory Committee opens with the artist's most impressive feat to date--the stirring "Cold Cold Water." Its charging momentum, classic orchestral components, and use of environmental imagery bring to mind movie scores as opposed to indie rock. When Mirah sings, "Don't take my love lightly," on the organ-fuelled "Light the Match," she ain't kidding. She and coproducer Phil Elvrum (the Microphones) employ everything from creepy carnival music and wailing violins ("Special Death") to electro cut-and-paste trickery and out-of-tune acoustic guitars ("Mt. St. Helens"). But the album's defining characteristic is how each arrangement lulls the listener while abruptly shifting gears. Advisory Committee is a rare gem--once you're exposed to its transporting powers, you won't want to leave. --Jeanne Fury
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First tag: Mirah (Kevin Loftis "satchel loftis" on Nov 24, 2005)
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
you search all day for just one taste of the cold cold water, March 17, 2004
Reviewer: Mike K. (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
I knew I had to get this when I first heard opening track "Cold Cold Water" as the first track on a mixtape. With it's immaculately detailed almost ennio morricone-sounding epic orchestral backing mixed with Mirah's own confident but fragile and low-key vocal style, it brings to mind a much-less-pretentious Bjork (no offense, I like Bjork...). I was initially dissapointed that the rest of the album is much more minimalist, mostly alternating between simple folk-ish acoustic guitar numbers and almost synth-pop-like keyboard and drum machine pieces, but ultimately the album is still appealing thanks to unusual instrumental touches (the violins and pump organs that give "light the match" an exotic gypsy-folk feel, the steel drums in the title track), and most of all Mirah's sensual lyrics, gorgeous melodies and warm singing.

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Strange, January 26, 2006
Reviewer: Just a student (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
Mirah's music is almost like a genre unto itself which is why she's so unconventional and unknown to most everyone. At the same time, no two song sounds the same, which means that the listener could adore one track and abhor the next. When first listening to the tracks, it's hard not to think "this music is... strange."

Mirah's voice is incredibly simple-- it sounds like a person singing lightly to herself under the assumption that no one else is listening. Her voice has almost a sweet, breathy naivete about it. Very rarely does she sing with different emotion, but when she does she's fabulous: In "The Garden," Mirah's agony is incredibly convincing. I would've liked to hear more songs with the same longing sadness.

On the complete contrast, I can't count the number of instruments used throughout the songs because there are so many. Sometimes the instruments would make a dark, heavy feel to it through strong percussion and minor chords from a choral sound (Her first track and possibly the best, "Cold, Cold Water" is a good example). Other times, the feel would be like a street beat based on the clever use of synthesizers like on the track "Recommendation." On some songs, Mirah's vocal sweetness is highlighted by tracks where a guitar is the only instrument used. One of my biggest complaints with her album is the reliance of technological sounds-- "Body Below"'s first 1:15 is nothing but a monotoned heavy sound with no drive or direction.

Mirah's album is a worthy gift to someone with tastes akin to "Neutral Milk Hotel," "Great Lake Swimmers," and "Anja Garbarek." Indeed, this is one of those albums that makes a nice addition for anyone who prides themself on having good music that no one's ever heard of. If you're one of these people then buy this to add to your reputation as the person with great taste (albeit a little strange) in unknown artists.… (meer)