Advisory Committee

Advisory Committee possesses a haunting beauty that is difficult to pinpoint. First, there’s Mirah’s beguiling voice — delicate and lovely without sounding wispy or wounded, she annunciates clearly and presents her evocative lyrics about personal relationships, heartbreak, and separation in a unique and inventive way. Some songs get the full orchestral treatment and others are left in a more skeletal form, but each comes across as a unique creation that adds something to the whole album. On “Make It Hot” and “Mt. St. Helens” interesting sounds float in and out and even those heard only briefly make a lasting impression. “Body Below” rides a wave of strangely soothing crunching noise, while “Light the Match” features some fine pulsating accordion and sharp violin. Credit must be given to Phil Elvrum of the Microphones for his imaginative engineering and for assorted instrumental contributions. He also worked on Mirah’s prior release, You Think It’s Like This But Really It’s Like This, but he outdoes himself here. Start to finish, Advisory Committee is an emotionally affecting and gorgeous work.