Thao & Mirah is a collaborative studio album by Thao Nguyen & Mirah, released in 2011 on Kill Rock Stars. In support of the album Thao and Mirah toured with indie music artists such as BOBBY.[1] It was well received by music critics;[2][3][4] according to Pitchfork, "everything on Thao & Mirah feels of a cohesive collaborative piece, separate from either artist's solo work, a combination that synthesizes their individual strengths to outstanding effect."[3]
| Thao & Mirah | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 26, 2011 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 40:13 | |||
| Label | Kill Rock Stars | |||
| Producer | Tune-Yards | |||
| Mirah chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
In early 2010, Mirah performed with Thao Nguyen at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco. The two later announced a 2010 North American tour, billed under the name Thao and Mirah With The Most of All.[5] Mirah and Thao performed a collaborative set and shared vocal duties on each artist's respective songs. The two artists subsequently recorded Thao & Mirah.[6]
Production and release
Thao & Mirah was produced by Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards and recorded in San Francisco, California. It was released on April 26, 2011 on the record label Kill Rock Stars.[6]
The two toured in support of the album while working with Air Traffic Control, an organization that provides artists a platform for social activism.[7] To support the album, Thao and Mirah have toured with indie music artists such as BOBBY.[1]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [9] |
| The A.V. Club | B−[10] |
| Consequence of Sound | [11] |
| Dusted Magazine | favorable[12] |
| Paste | 8.8/10[2] |
| Pitchfork | 7.9/10[3] |
| PopMatters |   [13] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | 3.5/5[4] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76% based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]
According to Pitchfork, "Some songs are more clearly led by one singer or the other-- Mirah's mournful unreeling on "Spaced Out Orbit" or Thao's rusty guitar slide and junkyard drum clatter of "Squareneck"...but everything on Thao & Mirah feels of a cohesive collaborative piece, separate from either artist's solo work, a combination that synthesizes their individual strengths to outstanding effect."[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eleven" (featuring Tune-Yards) | 4:01 |
| 2. | "Folks" | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Little Cup" | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Rubies and Rocks" | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Teeth" | 2:52 |
| 6. | "Spaced Out Orbit" | 4:24 |
| 7. | "How Dare You" | 2:59 |
| 8. | "Sugar and Plastic" | 2:03 |
| 9. | "Likable Man" | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Hallelujah" | 4:08 |
| 11. | "Squareneck" | 3:39 |
Personnel
Thao + Mirah
- Thao Nguyen - vocals (1, 2, 5, 7, 9-11); percussion (1, 9), surdo (2), guitar (2, 5, 9), drums (2, 9), floor tom & stomping (5), banjo (6), electric guitar (7, 10), acoustic guitar (10), squareneck slide guitar (11)
- Mirah - vocals (1, 3-8, 10, 11), backing vocals (2, 9); marimba (1), bass drum & percussion (3), handclaps (3, 5), nylon string guitar (3, 8), lap percussion & stomping (5), electronic [beats] (6), echo harp harmonica (8), acoustic guitar (10), floor tom (11)
- Merrill Garbus - vocals (1-7, 10, 11), vocal percussion (3), backing vocals (9); electronics [beats] (1, 7), percussion (3), handclaps (3, 5), drums & tambourine (4), finger cymbals (5), Juno-60 (6), Juno-106 & Moog Rogue (7) synthesizers, wine glasses (10), cans (11)
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14] | 7 |
References
External links
- Thao & Mirah at Discogs (list of releases)
- Thao + Mirah at Discogs
- MirahMusic.com