(a)spera

(a)spera was the first album after a four-year hiatus by Mirah, after time spent working on collaborations and remixes of previous albums. Phil Elverum produced and engineered the album, as with many of her previous releases. It was released on March 10, 2009, on Olympia label K Records.

{{Music ratings

| MC = 82/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/aspera/mirah|title=Reviews for (a)spera by Mirah|website=Metacritic|access-date=May 10, 2025}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev2 = Alternative Press

| rev2score = {{rating|4|5}}Although short of a masterpiece, (a)spera is Mirah's most satisfying start-to-finish disc since her 2001 solo breakthrough. [Apr 2009, p.135]

| rev3 = American Songwriter

| rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/mirah-aspera/|title=MIRAH > (a)spera|website=American Songwriter|last=Schulman|first=Nikolai|date=June 30, 2009|access-date=May 10, 2025}}

| rev4 = Drowned in Sound

| rev4score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://drownedinsound.com/releases/14294/reviews/4136531|title=Mirah - (a)spera|website=Drowned in Sound|last=Skinner|first=James|date=16 March 2009|access-date=10 May 2025}}

| rev5 = Paste

| rev5score = 8.3/10{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020225348/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/05/mirah-aspera.html|title=Mirah: (a)spera|website=Paste|last=Freedland|first=Henry|date=May 12, 2009|access-date=May 10, 2025}}

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6score = 7.8/10

| rev7 = PopMatters

| rev7score = 8/10

| rev8 = Spin

| rev8score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

| rev9 = Under the Radar

| rev9score = 8/10(a)spera is a pan-global treasure trove of creaking emotions and untried moments of emotional clarity. [Winter 2009, p.73]

}}

The album received positive reviews, including 4/5 stars from Allmusic, a positive review in Dusted Magazine, 7.8/10 by Pitchfork Media, 8/10 by PopMatters, and 3.5/5 stars from Spin.

According to PopMatters, "The musical marriage of Mirah and Elvrum is one of those rare perfect meeting of the minds—Jay-Z and Kanye, Butch Vig and Kurt Cobain, Phil Spector and... basically anyone who can sing. One could easily imagine Mirah being just another songwriter, singing turgid ballads about loneliness over an acoustic guitar (and indeed there is the occasional disturbing flash of this in her work), but through the intelligent production of Elvrum, and indeed, some of the other producers on (a)spera, she is able to set her thoughts upon soaring mountains of musical genius."

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Mirah, except where noted

| title1 = Generosity

| length1 = 3:43

| title2 = The World Is Falling

| length2 = 5:00

| title3 = Education

| length3 = 5:18

| title4 = Shells

| note4 = Kane Mathis, Mirah

| length4 = 2:31

| title5 = Country of the Future

| length5 = 3:34

| title6 = The Forest

| length6 = 3:29

| title7 = Gone Are the Days

| length7 = 3:40

| title8 = The River

| length8 = 7:49

| title9 = Bones & Skin

| length9 = 3:11

| title10 = While We Have the Sun

| note10 = originally recorded in 2003; new version

| length10 = 4:40

}}

;Songwriting, etc.

• Mirah – Vocals, Songwriting, etc.
• Christopher Doulgeris – Bass, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Producer, Organ (Pump), Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements

;Production

• Phil Elverum – Producer, Engineer, Guitar, Piano, Cymbals, Organ (Hammond),
• Bryce Panic – Producer, Percussion, Bongos, Drums, Vocals, Kalimba, Bells, Claves, Vibraphone, Hi Hat
• Tucker Martine – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
• Kane Mathis – Producer, Kora
• Adam Selzer – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
• Barry Corliss – Mastering
• Liz Haley – Photography, Cover Collage

;Instrumentals

• Jef Brown – Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
• Chris Funk – Dobro, Mandolin, Celeste, Hurdygurdy, Dulcimer (Hammer)
• Lori Goldston – Cello
• Cory Gray – Trumpet
• Radio Sloan – Guitar
• Doug Jenkins – Cello
• Robert Andrew Jones – Double Bass
• Emily Kingan – Caixa
• Justin Mackovich – Violin
• Lisa Molinaro – Viola
• Cynthia Nelson – Flute
• Tara Jane O'Neil – Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Bass)
• Toussaint Perrault – Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba
• Mehmet "Memo" Vurkaç – Caixa, Pandeiro, Repique, Surdo

{{reflist|2| refs =

{{Cite web

|url = http://www.krecs.com/html/press/albumonesheet.php?interest=KLP195

|title = K Records Press Release

|accessdate = January 6, 2009

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101213103423/http://www.krecs.com/html/press/albumonesheet.php?interest=klp195

|archive-date = December 13, 2010

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy-all

}}

{{Cite web

| url = http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Mirah-Will-Finally-Let-Us-Know

| title = Mirah Will Finally Let Us Know What A Four-Year Album Sounds Like

| newspaper = Tiny Mix Tapes

| accessdate = January 6, 2009

}}

{{cite news

| title = (A)spera Review

| first = Heather

| last = Phares

| url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/aspera-mw0000810996

| publisher = Allmusic

| date = March 10, 2009

| accessdate = 2014-04-22

}}

{{cite news

| title = (a)spera

| first = Mia

| last = Clarke

| url = http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12809-aspera/

| newspaper = Pitchfork

| date = March 10, 2009

| accessdate = 2014-04-22

}}

{{cite news

| title = Mirah: (a)spera

| first = C.L.

| last = Chafin

| url = http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/70521-mirah-aspera/

| newspaper = PopMatters

| date = 9 March 2009

| accessdate = 2014-04-22

}}

{{cite news

| title = (A)spera

| first = Lindsey

| last = Thomas

| url = http://www.spin.com/reviews/mirah-aspera-k

| newspaper = Spin

| date = February 19, 2009

| accessdate = 2014-04-22

}}

{{cite news

| title = (A)spera

| first = Jennifer

| last = Kelly

| url = http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4825

| newspaper = Dusted Magazine

| date = Feb 26, 2009

| accessdate = 2014-04-22

}}

}}

• [http://www.mirahmusic.com MirahMusic.com]

{{Mirah}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aspera}}

Category:Mirah albums

Category:2009 albums

Category:K Records albums