nodded in appreciation during the movie Animal House. No, it wasn't the scene where John Belushi gets on the ladder and looks into the sorority house full of naked girls (I did something else during that scene). The scene in question was when John Belushi takes the guitar from the folk-singing beatnik in the movie and smashes it against the wall. These types are everywhere, spilling their feelings to you about that one time when the opposite sex hurt them oh so much.


On her debut, You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This, Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlya wades into the difficult territory of being the guitarist singer/songwriter with minimal backup musicians. She succeeds, though, where many others have failed. Playing in the genre of breakup and love songs with a confessional bent that Liz Phair perfected, Mirah adds new breath because of her interesting vocal ability and her lyrical skill. Simple lyrics such as "This earthquake is making the house shake" take on a sense of new meaning when repeated ad infinitum on "Of Pressure." The varied instrumentation on this album also contributes to keeping the record both playful and introspective.


"I'll tell you why / But I don't know why / It's simple and so complicated" is pretty much the sum of why I enjoy this record so much and find myself playing it over and over again on lazy Sunday afternoons.