Come Out of Your Mine

Mia’s second album, Come Out of Your Mine, is very much a sequel to her debut, even in the pen and ink illustrations of the booklet. It is another solo acoustic recording, just voice and steel string guitar. The only adornment is the natural reverb of the chapel where it was recorded in the middle of the night in November of 1997. In these songs, which are more elaborate, personal and literary, Mia begins to hone her unique singing style and songcraft. Like a bard or troubadour, she is a creature from a more pastoral time, as she sings: “Today’s not an age made for maidens, but I am the age of a maiden.” Themes of romance, heartbreak, and independence predominate. The turn of the millennium looms large, and the foreboding of an uncertain future is present in the songs. The first track, “Independence Day,” chronicles a Fourth of July spent watching fireworks over Boston’s Charles River where the recent college graduates gather for a friend’s wedding and ruminate on adulthood and the multitude of divergent paths awaiting them. “Strawberries” is a luscious track which likens ripe fruit and vegetables to the blooming of romance. The song “Hijikata Tatsumi” reveals Mia’s interest in the modern Japanese dance form “Ankoku Butoh.” The album was released in 1999 on San Francisco’s The Communion Label after Mia returned from a year in Japan, studying Butoh dance with Kazuo and Yoshito Ohno, Min Tanaka, and at Asbestos-kan. Stark simplicity, honesty and fragility characterize Mia’s work. One timeless, standout track is “Spring,” which was featured in Michel Gondry’s film “Mood Indigo.” The song is about personal recovery after great mental or physical breakdown.

On her first album, Mia Doi Todd's songs rose out of and above the typical folkie aesthetic, and for certain brief stretches the album even seemed to take on a theatrical mood.