(a)spera

Mirah made her name as a mainstay of the Olympia, WA, scene, making striking lo-fi recordings for the storied indie label K Records (Beat Happening, Mecca Normal, et al). (a)spera, the first album she's made since moving to Portland, and the first to be recorded somewhere other than Olympia, is a long way from those four-track days of yore, though her sonic palette has admittedly gotten more sophisticated over the years with each successive release. While the majority of the tracks here maintain a lean, minimal feel that will seem familiar to Mirah's longtime admirers, there's an undeniable sense of "What if?" applied to the album's production approach. Strings, exotic percussion, African kora, you name it, (a)spera's got it, but the often-adventurous arrangements never overwhelm the songs. Of course, part of the reason for that is Mirah's unassuming vocal delivery. Trenchant lyricism mated with simple, inviting melodies has always been Mirah's stock in trade, and that remains true amongst this batch of beautifully crafted tunes that move through the big themes - love, sex, death - without ever arousing the slightest whiff of pretense. Other than the perversely punctuated title, of course.