K. Records
2001
Advisory Committee
About This Album
Mirah's You Think It's Like This But It's Really Like This, was a sweet, sensitive collection of folky indie pop, but her follow-up, Advisory Committee, is such a stunning leap forward that it feels like a true introduction to her music. The album retains some of the homespun lo-fi charm of You Think It's Like This..., but Advisory Committee is also dramatic, even theatrical, as on the stunning first track, "Cold Cold Water." A sweeping spaghetti Western of a song, its swelling strings, galloping percussion, and haunting vocals portray being in love as a life-or-death situation. Only Björk does this type of drama as well, and a large part of the song's success is due to Phil Elvrum's production. Though he and Mirah have collaborated before on Elvrum's Microphones albums, on Advisory Committee their styles complement each other perfectly: His unique, often trippy production techniques give her gorgeous, guileless voice and imaginative songwriting equally creative settings. While "Cold Cold Water" is the album's obvious standout, Advisory Committee features more than a handful of remarkable songs, not the least of which is the epic title track, a virtual rock opera that reclaims the steel drums as a rock instrument.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10)

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