Rediscover:
Mirah
You Think It’s Like This, But Really It’s Like This
2000
Rediscover is a series of reviews highlighting past releases that have flown under the radar and now deserve a second look.
I first heard Mirah at my college’s radio station. Late at night, the school’s campus center pumped the fourth track from You Think It’s Like This, But Really It’s Like This through its speakers. In the haunting song, “La Familia,” Mirah repeatedly asks, “If we sleep together/ Would it make it any better?/ If we sleep together/ Would you be my friend forever?” It seemed like a fair question at the time. Whether it was because the sentiment is personally relevant to most college students or because “La Familia” is just so powerfully wistful, the song resonated so strongly with me that I went out and bought a copy of You Think It’s Like This… the first chance I got.
The album is misleading on the first listen, opening with “Million Miles” as Mirah delivers the short track with only an acoustic guitar for accompaniment. You Think It’s Like This… is made up of fairly straightforward songs, driven by Mirah’s lyrics and vocals. “Million Miles” finds her with a sing song-y tone, and her innocence and charm seem so harmless that it’s surprising when the rest of the album finds her ranging from playful and sexy to somber and strong. You don’t notice dirty lyrics like, “There’s no use in denying/ I’ll be tapping you for more/ Suck on my sweet tooth ’til I’m sore” the first time through.
Many tracks on the album are similarly short (a handful clock in at two minutes or less), but Mirah has crafted each one with care and subtlety. A few years ago I spoke to Mirah about her songwriting, and she told me that she enjoyed creating songs because each one was like a miniature epic. “It’s just three minutes long, but it takes a bunch of work to make,” she said. “You get to make a thing that gets mass-produced, and it’s in this little package. It’s very satisfying.” This songwriting perspective fits well with Mirah’s music, particularly with her debut album on K Records. You Think It’s Like This… doesn’t really have any grand, overarching themes beyond frequent mentions of gardens and small towns, but each track is a well thought-out picture or moment. “100 Knives” softly navigates a day full of lovers’ quarrels and pillow talk while “Murphy Bed” explores the longing and complication involved in a long distance relationship. Although the tracks range from sexual to sad, the album overall comes off as charming. Every once in a while, however, the tracks get a little cheeky. For instance, while the cuteness of “Pollen” is mitigated by its gleeful garden entendres (with lines like, “I’ve been leaking like a garden hose“), the metaphors in “Engine Heart” don’t hold up quite as well. Heavier tracks like “Of Pressure” and “Water and Sleep,” and the angrier “Small Town” prevent You Think It’s Like This… from becoming too twee to take seriously.
You Think It’s Like This… was by no means an epic debut for Mirah, but 10 years after its release, the tracks are still simple and pleasurable. Mirah has since released albums that are more instrumentally complicated -her latest album, (a)spera was probably her most mature and beautiful album yet. However, You Think It’s Like This… warrants a second look for its sincere sentiments, powerful moments and Mirah’s ability to bounce between friskiness and longing with just a guitar and some drum hiss.
by Melissa Muenz
