Mirah And Spectratone International Share This Place: Stories And Observations by: Helen Stasa Mon:03-Sep-07 Label: K Year: 2007 WB rating 63 out of 100

Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, more commonly known as simply Mirah, is one of the standout artists on the K Records roster. Her first full length album, You Think It’s Like This But Really It’s Like This (recorded in 2000 with Phil Elverum of The Microphones) was filled with lo-fi indie gems.

However, recently Mirah has been moving towards a more folk-infused sound. For instance, on the 2003 album To All We Stretch the Open Arm, she collaborated with cellist Lori Goldston and accordion player Kyle Hanson (both from Seattle’s Black Cat Orchestra), to release an album which drew heavily on traditional music, particularly that of her Jewish background.

On Share This Place Mirah once again collaborates with Goldston and Hanson, who, along with Jane Hall on percussion and Kane Mathis on oud (a stringed instrument, which sounds a bit like a cross between a lute, a mandolin and a sitar), make up Spectratone International.

The most distinguishing feature of Share This Place is the unique subject matter of the songs. It is a concept album, revolving around the (perhaps understandably) rarely explored theme of human/insect relations, and the need for better appreciation of the insect species. To this end, it draws on the writings of French entomologist Jean Henri Fabré and The Capek Brothers’ The Insect Play, which both look at mankind’s relationship with insects.

Although this sounds like a somewhat bizarre concept for an album, Mirah and Spectratone International have somehow managed to compose 14 songs dealing with this one, slightly eccentric, theme. For instance, on the opening track, ‘Community’, Mirah draws a contrast between human communication and the way that insects interact. “Who needs to speak in a society”, she asks, when insects are able to “take advantage of (their) pheromones” and communicate chemically. Similarly, on ‘Emergence of the Primary Larva’, she adopts the character of a caterpillar, breaking out of its chrysalis, and sings about watching “my smooth shell split.”

Besides the unusual subject matter of the songs, the other aspect of Share This Place which immediately stands out is the way in which Spectratone International use their instruments to create a world music flavour. This is best demonstrated on ‘Gestation of the Sacred Beatle’ and ‘Ecdysis’, where the oud creates an Indian flavour reminiscent of the sitar in ‘Norwegian Wood’. In contrast, ‘Following The Sun’ sounds far more Middle Eastern in tone, like something from a belly dancing class. The world music tone is further reinforced by Kyle Hanson’s accordion playing on ‘My Prize’, which gives the track a distinctly French aura. Strangely, it also sounds eerily similar to the Chimney Sweep song from Mary Poppins,

However, most of the credit for the distinctive sound of the album is due to the combined effect of Lori Goldston’s cello playing, and Mirah’s gorgeous voice. Goldston’s playing forms the backbone of many of the tracks (for instance, the glorious ‘Luminescence’, which is one of the standout songs on the album), gently guiding the songs forward with great subtlety. By remaining relatively inconspicuous, Goldston allows the listener to focus on Mirah’s singing, her voice fragile and girlish, vaguely reminiscent of Joanna Newsom (but without the slightly aggravating quality) or Isobel Campbell (ex-Belle and Sebastian).

But despite the obvious creativity behind Share This Place, the songs are not particularly strong, too many merging into each other and too few really distinguishing themselves. Additionally, the lyrics have a tendency to sound forced and contrived. It seems as though Mirah and her colleagues are more concerned with showing how well read they are in obscure French entomological literature than meeting the demands of the music. This is demonstrated on such awkward lines as “hormones will cause all my tissues to rearrange” (‘Ecdysis’) and “I’ll cherish the lessons I’ve learnt from…the royal bird’s great beak” (‘Song of Psyche’). Certainly, Share This Place is a unique album; its unusual subject matter and international instrumentation ensure it this status. Yet while it makes for pleasant and inoffensive listening, it feels best suited to being restaurant background music.