You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This

Mirah: Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn (vocals).
Additional personnel: Jason, Mark (guitar); Jenn Kliese (violin); Arrington de Dionyso (flute); Paul West (piano); Lee Phelps (bass).
Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn's debut full-length is a true indie pop triumph. From beginning to end, You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This hovers majestically on a cloud of songcrafting genius and, as the title suggests, is constantly in a state of shapeshifting. Tones change from elegant to pensive to heavy but still manage to drift by graciously with the help of Mirah's wistful voice and intimately personal lyrics. A great deal of the instrumentation is assisted by the Microphones' Phil Elvrum, but he only complements Mirah's lonesome yet optimistic vocals as she rethinks the relationships that continue to haunt her. A certain cheapness in the production of You Think It's Like This -- perhaps the work of a four-track recorder and vintage instruments -- also lends much character to the overall tone of the record. The guitar fuzz actually seems to translate the feelings of "the earthquake...making the house shake" in "Of Pressure," and the hollow reverb of "La Familia" intensely echoes Mirah's heartbroken vocal wanderings. A masterpiece of lo-fi beauty. ~ Ken Taylor