(Rock) On/Off Posted by mike

Mirah: "The Light" From C'mon Miracle (K Records, 2004) The Black Keys: "When the Lights Go Out" From Rubber Factory (Fat Possum, 2004) Both of these albums are hot, and I could easily upload like 3/4 of the tracks from each of them, but I'd like to believe that blogs like this encourage (rather than replace) music purchases, so I'm limiting myself to just two songs. If I had to map Mirah, I'd place her somewhere in the space separating Liz Phair and Bjork. A more important middle ground, though, is the balance she finds between immediate, pop appeal and the kind of depth (both sonic and lyrical) that encourages repeat listens. "The Light" begins with Phil Elvrum's drum machines stomping through puddles of filtered distortion, before suddenly dissolving into a weightless acoustic tremble halfway through. The effect is something like being sucker-punched, then softly kissed on the mouth. Despite the similarities in lineup (guitar/drums duo), origin (Midwest), and name, don't confuse The White Stripes with The Black Keys. The BKs actually recorded their latest album in an abandoned rubber factory, but there are no pretentious statements about the post-industrial urban landscape here, only blues-tinged bangers like "When the Lights Go Out". Dan Auerbach sparks it with a piston-pounding levee (drum) break, while Patrick Carney adds just enough vocals and guitar to maintain the song's lovely slow burn.