Thao & Mirah - Thao & Mirah

Two songwriters who had spent years building separate catalogs decided to make one record together, and handed the production reins to a third. Thao Nguyen and Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn cut this self-titled collaboration in 2010 across studios in San Francisco and Oakland, with Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs producing alongside them. Kill Rock Stars released it in 2011.

Garbus's fingerprints are all over it, and that is the record's best idea. "Eleven" opens on programmed beats and stacked vocals, "Folks" builds from surdo and trumpet into something close to a parade, and "Teeth" gathers hand claps, stomping, and a room full of backing singers into its final stretch. The quieter moments land just as hard, with "Little Cup" carried by nylon-string guitar and "Hallelujah" closing out on wine glasses and two voices in close harmony. Neither writer defers to the other, and the friction is the point.

It remains a document of a specific moment in independent music, when three distinctive artists could put their names on one sleeve and let the seams show.

This LP pressing comes via Kill Rock Stars with a download card and a fold-out lyrics and credits sheet. A collaboration record that deserves more attention than it got.