Mirah’s debut LP, You Think It’s Like This But It’s Really Like This was originally released in the year 2000 by K records. Since then, Mirah has put together quite the catalog of releases including some where she’s joined by other artists like Thao Nguyen. In this post we’ll be taking a deeper look at her debut and unboxing the 20th Anniversary reissue from Double Double Whammy Records.
A History of Mirah’s Debut LP on Vinyl
I don’t have an original pressing of You Think It’s Like This But It’s Really Like This, so I can’t show you that, but it was in a regular printed sleeve with the track list glued to the back and it had a one-sided credits insert. This DIY-esque nature of that construction is quite signature to that era of K Records, and K Records in general.
The album received its first repress in 2014. Neither the original nor the 2014 reissue have more than 250 copies accumulated in all of Discogs users’ collections. Likewise, neither specify the quantity pressed. But given that scarcity, I doubt the pressing included more than 500 each, and likely quite a bit fewer.
The most distinguishing difference between the 2000 and the 2014 pressing is the track list on the back. The 2014 was printed with the cover as opposed to glued on after the fact.
The 20th Anniversary Reissues
Mirah’s debut packed a whopping 16 tracks on the original disc, and the 20th Anniversary Reissue doubles that with a variety of other artists covering her original LP on a second slab of wax. You’ll find the likes of Mount Eerie, Allison Crutchfield, Hand Habits, Flock of Dimes, Half Waif, and The Blow among the list!
Double Double Whammy pressed the reissue in four variations, two with stated quantities and two without. The limited pressings came on Milky Clear wax edition of 300 and a Blue wax edition of 100, the latter being exclusively distributed by Rough Trade. The two non-limited editions came on black vinyl and silver vinyl.
The 20th Anniversary pressings were remastered by Josh Bonati.
Unboxing You Think It’s Like This But It’s Really Like This
I like my Silver vinyl copy of You Think It’s Like This But It’s Really Like This. The gatefold looks great with a newly adjusted back that includes the original track list aligned left and printed in white, and who covers the song on the second disc aligned right and printed in black as shown above.
Inside the gatefold sleeve, you’ll find new art. No surprise, given it’s the first to be released with a gatefold sleeve. On the left are notes written by Phil Elvrum (Mount Eerie, The Microphones), who engineered the album, artwork designer Khaela Maricich (The Blow), and Mirah herself, all recounting their lives around the release of the album.
Mirah’s Debut LP Reviewed
I’m a big fan of Mirah, and like many indie artists that predominantly embody the folk genre, she’s honed her craft significantly over the years. You Think It’s Like This But It’s Really Like This, then, is probably my least favorite Mirah album in my collection.
By no means does that mean it’s not good. It’s just not as good as what she released later.
Mirah’s early career was always more lo-fi folk than anything else, and nowhere is that more apparent than on her debut. There are plenty of great tunes here, starting with “Sweepstakes Prize” and “Engine Heart” on the A side, and “100 Knives” and “Telephone Wires” on the B.
Below, take a listen to “Sweepstakes Prize”
And here’s “100 Knives:
In all, it’s a solid work and quite cohesive as a whole. It just fails to grip me as much as some of her other albums, namely “Advisory Committee” from 2002, “Changing Light” from 2014, and even “Sundial” from 2017.
What makes this version of the album stand out, though, is the multitude of covers. Each song is reworked by an artist and included on the second disc. Favorites include tracks by Half Waif, Hand Habits, Mount Eerie, and The Blow. Check out Half Waif covering “Murphy Bed” below:
Classic to Mount Eerie’s heavier sound, here’s Elvrum covering “Of Pressure”
What has been your favorite Mirah album over the years? Let me know in the comments!
