This is the import version of Mirah's album, Share This Place: Stories and Observations (KLP181).
In Share This Place: Stories and Observations, Kyle Hanson (of Black Cat Orchestra acclaim) teams up with Mirah to deliver a sweeping song cycle inspired by the tragic and triumphant lives of insects.
Along with their trademark cello and accordion, Spectratone International features percussionist Jane Hall and Kane Mathis on oud (Middle Eastern lute). Spectratone’s hybrid sound wanders easily through a range of influences, from early music to folk to psychedelia. Layered with their lush, meticulous tones are Mirah’s ravishingly intimate vocals, recorded by celebrated Northwest producer Steve Fisk (Nirvana, Soundgarden) and Phil Elvrum (The Microphones, Mount Eerie).
Inspired in part by influential French scientist/poet J.Henri Fabré, Mirah’s lyrics smartly humanize the trials and pleasures of the insect world, touching on themes of villainy, seduction, self-sacrifice and love. Shining a light on the epic complexity of the insect world, the songs imply an inescapable comparison with our own.
A concept album of sorts, Share This Place is a score written by Goldston, Hanson and Mirah for a suite of twelve stop-motion animated short films by Britta Johnson (KLP201). One of the films, Credo Cigalia, is included on the album, along with an illustrated lyric booklet.