(a)spera
| (a)spera | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Error creating thumbnail: File missing | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 10, 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | K | |||
| Mirah chronology | ||||
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(a)spera is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mirah, released on March 10, 2009.[1] Produced by Phil Elverum, it met with a largely positive reception from music critics.
Production and release
[edit | edit source](a)spera was the first album after a four-year hiatus by Mirah, after time spent working on collaborations and remixes of previous albums.[2] Phil Elverum produced and engineered the album, as with many of her previous releases. It was released on March 10, 2009, on Olympia label K Records.[1]
Critical reception
[edit | edit source]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | StarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[4] |
| Alternative Press | StarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[5] |
| American Songwriter | StarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[6] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[7] |
| Paste | 8.3/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[9] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[10] |
| Spin | StarStarStarHalf starFile:Star empty.svg[11] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10[12] |
The album received positive reviews, including 4/5 stars from Allmusic,[4] a positive review in Dusted Magazine,[13] 7.8/10 by Pitchfork Media,[9] 8/10 by PopMatters,[10] and 3.5/5 stars from Spin.[11]
According to PopMatters, "The musical marriage of Mirah and Elvrum is one of those rare perfect meeting of the minds—Jay-Z and Kanye, Butch Vig and Kurt Cobain, Phil Spector and... basically anyone who can sing. One could easily imagine Mirah being just another songwriter, singing turgid ballads about loneliness over an acoustic guitar (and indeed there is the occasional disturbing flash of this in her work), but through the intelligent production of Elvrum, and indeed, some of the other producers on (a)spera, she is able to set her thoughts upon soaring mountains of musical genius."[10]
Track listing
[edit | edit source]All tracks are written by Mirah, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Generosity" | 3:43 |
| 2. | "The World Is Falling" | 5:00 |
| 3. | "Education" | 5:18 |
| 4. | "Shells" (Kane Mathis, Mirah) | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Country of the Future" | 3:34 |
| 6. | "The Forest" | 3:29 |
| 7. | "Gone Are the Days" | 3:40 |
| 8. | "The River" | 7:49 |
| 9. | "Bones & Skin" | 3:11 |
| 10. | "While We Have the Sun" (originally recorded in 2003; new version) | 4:40 |
Personnel
[edit | edit source]- Songwriting, etc.
- Mirah – Vocals, Songwriting, etc.
- Christopher Doulgeris – Bass, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Producer, Organ (Pump), Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements
- Production
- Phil Elverum – Producer, Engineer, Guitar, Piano, Cymbals, Organ (Hammond),
- Bryce Panic – Producer, Percussion, Bongos, Drums, Vocals, Kalimba, Bells, Claves, Vibraphone, Hi Hat
- Tucker Martine – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Kane Mathis – Producer, Kora
- Adam Selzer – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Barry Corliss – Mastering
- Liz Haley – Photography, Cover Collage
- Instrumentals
- Jef Brown – Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
- Chris Funk – Dobro, Mandolin, Celeste, Hurdygurdy, Dulcimer (Hammer)
- Lori Goldston – Cello
- Cory Gray – Trumpet
- Radio Sloan – Guitar
- Doug Jenkins – Cello
- Robert Andrew Jones – Double Bass
- Emily Kingan – Caixa
- Justin Mackovich – Violin
- Lisa Molinaro – Viola
- Cynthia Nelson – Flute
- Tara Jane O'Neil – Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Bass)
- Toussaint Perrault – Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba
- Mehmet "Memo" Vurkaç – Caixa, Pandeiro, Repique, Surdo
References
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Although short of a masterpiece, (a)spera is Mirah's most satisfying start-to-finish disc since her 2001 solo breakthrough. [Apr 2009, p.135]
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ (a)spera is a pan-global treasure trove of creaking emotions and untried moments of emotional clarity. [Winter 2009, p.73]
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
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