I'm Going to See Mitski Tonight

I’d be lying if I said I was using my position at this radio station totally void of personal gain...Mitski, along with her notable openers Jay Som and Japanese Breakfast, has sold out the majority of her US shows months in advance on the coattails of her most recent release, “Puberty 2,” and the only way I was able to get a spot at this show was much the same way our photographer and veteran Pizza authority, Mr. McKittrick, was able to get into the Pitchfork Music Festival this past weekend. There may be a measurable amount of shame in this act; however this is how badly I would like to see this singer sing. In this way, I would hope that this short article and hopefully the subsequent review will do her justice and prompt you to be aware of her existence and maybe check out her bandcamp.Mitski Miyawaki constructs a lot of haunting love songs. At one time they are the sweetest and most sincere poems you’ve heard as well as the most crushingly devastating songs of depression. There’s self-qualification, self-deprecation, and self-loathing all while having almost no sense of self at all -- but Mitski is no pop-punk or emo act and she lets you know. Mitski doesn’t lament on her weaknesses and never once comes off as whiny or weak across her 4 LPs.Perhaps this is a function of her voice, which leads us to the more approachable aspect of her artistry, her sound. Not only does Mitski boast an underrated and versatile voice that is an excellent melody/hook making instrument in the higher register and a haunting, lyrical delivery medium but her instrumentation and composition is wonderfully catchy and varied from a lone acoustic guitar to drum machines and synthesizers. Her songs tend to follow a well-structured pop. Like her lyrics, this construction never comes off as weak or simplistic but allows for an immediately pleasing sound to hit even the most passive listener’s ear. Her instrumentation is catchy and varied from a lone acoustic guitar to drum machines and synthesizers.AND she’s developing. Her production on “Puberty 2” seems to harken back to a fuller, more dramatic sound as she had previously explored on her “Retired from Sad, New Career in Business” and “Lush” records that were recorded as school projects, but this time doing it without a 60 piece orchestra so that it has the same intimate feel of “Bury Me at Makeout Creek.” As a songwriter, she’s beginning to define characters and use drawn out metaphors. In the past her songs were all about a “you,” never specifically stating whether it was a single “you”, multiple “yous,” or even herself as a “you,” but now she sings to people with names like “Happy” and “Dan.” This expands her ability to more intricately craft complete works of music altogether and no longer faces the risk of losing sonic tones in her lyrics or vice versa (not that this is a prominent problem in her past history).Yes, I am excited to seeing her perform. Videos of her live performances on the youtubes and whatnot are definitely worth checking out, but she carries herself like she's always got something new to say or contribute (just check her twitter). In this way a fan can not be happy simply clicking play on this artist, sitting back, and relaxing. Mitski has shown to be a dynamic, aggressively emotional artist who is proving to be a dominant songwriter on this generation's indie scene. Though it doesn't look like she has hit her peak as an artist and performer, I hope that this tour inspires many more people to keep an ear out for her as she develops and continues to tour.Hell, I hope seeing her inspires me to get her tickets the day they're put on sale the next time she comes around.