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(a)spera
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| (a)spera | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_Cover_Art.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 10, 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | K | |||
| Mirah chronology | ||||
| ||||
(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](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]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Alternative Press | [5] |
| American Songwriter | [6] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[7] |
| Paste | 8.3/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[9] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[10] |
| Spin |  [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]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]- 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
[edit]- ^ a b "K Records Press Release". Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
- ^ "Mirah Will Finally Let Us Know What A Four-Year Album Sounds Like". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
- ^ "Reviews for (a)spera by Mirah". Metacritic. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ a b Phares, Heather (March 10, 2009). "(A)spera Review". Allmusic. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ 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]
- ^ Schulman, Nikolai (June 30, 2009). "MIRAH > (a)spera". American Songwriter. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ Skinner, James (March 16, 2009). "Mirah - (a)spera". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ Freedland, Henry (May 12, 2009). "Mirah: (a)spera". Paste. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ a b Clarke, Mia (March 10, 2009). "(a)spera". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ a b c Chafin, C.L. (March 9, 2009). "Mirah: (a)spera". PopMatters. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Thomas, Lindsey (February 19, 2009). "(A)spera". Spin. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ (a)spera is a pan-global treasure trove of creaking emotions and untried moments of emotional clarity. [Winter 2009, p.73]
- ^ Kelly, Jennifer (February 26, 2009). "(A)spera". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
