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Mirah
Understanding
(Absolute Magnitude)
4.5/5 Stars
Mirah's 6th solo album finds the powerful songstress returning to her early, atypical recording process, while bringing on Deerhoof's Greg Saunier to help flesh out the thoughtful tunes. Always a composer with vivid wordplay, Mirah explores some dense themes here, taking on topics like illness and death to those close to her, and of course today's political climate is touched on in her eloquent fashion.
As graceful and mature as all of her work, her spellbinding vocals largely stay hushed here, with waves of synth, stirring moments of sparse acoustic work and even louder, nearly anthemic pop also being in her arsenal. While the music is often dreamy, classical influenced, and sophisticated, some brushes with busier moments help round out the impressive effort. Much like everything Mirah has done, there's a gentle balance between and art and music here that's executed in a way that only she can.