For three albums, Mia Doi Todd communicated to listeners using two instruments-- her guitar and her voice. On her fourth album, The Golden State, she put herself in the hands of producer Mitchell Froom, a man not exactly known for musical restraint. In conjunction with Todd and co-producer Yves Beauvais, Froom decorated the album (containing both new and old songs) with ornate, luxurious arrangements that at once pushed things forward while remaining true to the unadorned heart of Todd's music. Though that record seemed superficially like a departure from her previous work, it fit in just fine with what preceded. For her newest album, Manzanita, Todd tried a different tact-- instead of gussying up her usual types of songs, she takes the opportunity to digress in unexpected directions, with equally unexpected results.
Opener and Dead Meadow collaboration "The Way" is a psych-damaged protest song that would probably be better served in the hands of a histrionic harpy like Grace Slick. As is, Todd's plaintive pleas ("seems like paradise is lost and won't be found") clash with the backwards guitars and the double-bass action. The lukewarm reggae workout "Casa Nova" is an even weaker genre exercise. More successful are excursions into Bacharachian horn and string charts (on "The Last Night of Winter") and flamenco-styled guitar strumming (on "Tongue-Tied").
The high points of the album are the tracks that feature Todd by herself either on guitar or piano, filling the song with the trembling strength of her singing. Of course, mileage may vary concerning her lyrics, which can err on the side of simplicity and cliché redemption ("All the butterflies rise to the surface/ I say stupid things when I get nervous"). Her poetic voice is strongest when the words state their intentions in concise yet inventive ways ("We kiss for the first time, our lips and tongues tied in fitness, infiniteness"), or she finds contentment in the wonder of the everyday ("We woke up from dreams/ Took turns at the sink/ We crawl back into bed").
No doubt Mia Doi Todd's music is an acquired taste-- as offered in her press clippings, reactions range from orgiastic fawning ("[l]ike a 21st century Yeats she transforms our species' dilemmas, follies, and misery into cathartic beauty") to unapologetic brusqueness ("jaw-droppingly pretentious"). Somewhere in between those two poles is a center where Todd's particular charms can be appreciated with the requisite grain of salt. While Manzanita tries to add more spice and panache to Todd's folk-flavored brew, the album works best when it stays true to the original recipe.
