Mirah and Spectratone International

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Share This Place is the album from K Records standout Mirah, but it also a multimedia project commissioned by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and the Seattle International Children’s Festival, comprised of the songs contained herein and accompanying stop-motion video by Britta Johnson. Inspired in part by the writings of French entomologist Jean Henri Fabré and the Capek brothers’ anthropomorphic drama The Insect Play, with a dash of the insectile existentialism of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, Share This Place is a palimpsest where the separate fiefdoms of humans and insects are reconciled in one teeming kingdom.

The album is more like To All We Stretch the Open Arm, the collection of traditional folk Mirah recorded with Seattle’s Black Cat Orchestra, than her beloved C’mon Miracle. Forgoing that album’s sketches, snippets, and snapshots, which were of a piece with the naively ramshackle twee for which her label is renowned, Share This Place employs a decidedly more adult, historically rooted method of songwriting and performing. These full-bodied songs, sturdily played by Spectratone International, draw from a variety of Asian and European folk idioms for their torch-lit, supple swoon. Kyle Hanson’s drunkenly reeling accordion and Lori Goldston’s weepy cello betray a strong Klezmer influence, while Kane Mathis’s flickering oud (similar to a lute) injects Middle Eastern strains. Sympathetic production by Phil Elvrum and Steve Fisk amplifies Mirah’s idiosyncrasies— her non-sexual sensuality, her scenery-chewing vocal projection.

Tagged as:

folk, female vocalists, indie, alternative, indie pop
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3	Gestation of the Sacred Beetle	29
4	My Prize	27
5	Song of Psyche	23
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7	Following The Sun	21
8	My Lord Who Hums	20
8	Supper	20
10	Ecdysis	18
10	Emergence Of The Primary Larva	18
12	Credo Cigalia	16

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dollygay wrote:
last month

waka waka¡

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dramaofexile wrote:
January 2009

an entire album about bugs? this should be shittier than it is.

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eleseus wrote:
December 2008

mirah ve ud.dream

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janeboot wrote:
December 2008

j'adore mirah<3

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sweetandsnarky wrote:
September 2008

I love this album. As an aspiring apiarist I particularly love Community, but I really enjoy the fact that they did an entire concept album on insects. Hooray insects, and hooray Mirah and Spectratone International for being so awesome!

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BlurAllTheLines wrote:
April 2008

it's beautiful

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CenturyOfFakers wrote:
January 2008

sounds like the old country

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knockles wrote:
November 2007

strange stuff, definitely going to have to give this more listens.

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n-gonge wrote:
October 2007

they used oud great... i like the sound very very very much...

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heytherejaybird wrote:
September 2007

amazing, one of my favorites of 2007

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h34rts wrote:
September 2007

MIRAH! weird how she isnt on the similar artists. well, she rocks.

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Bayou16 wrote:
August 2007

lovely!!!!!!!!!!!

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xran wrote:
June 2007

Gestation of the Sacred Beetle has to be one of the most amazing songs I've heard this year. Who knew bugs were so cool?

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arthurbonini wrote:
May 2007

nice, calm music.

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sevensystem wrote:
May 2007

awesome!

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