Mieka Pauley - From the Mouth of Paris EP

I normally don't buy EPs.  Often, it seems like a waste of money to me when they precede a new album.  However, when I looked at the 2009 label on this album, I figured that this one did not precede a new album, and was probably worth buying.

Mieka Pauley's sound is interesting - it's definitely alternative rock, and the lyrics seem to be charged with political angst.  There are no songs about romantic relationships on this album.

There are only 4 songs on this album (probably obvious since it's an EP): Faster, We're All Gonna Die, Colossal, and That Golden Room.  Personally, my favorite is probably Colossal.

Therapeutically, I think most of these songs could be used, but I'm not too sure about We're All Gonna Die.  On one hand, someone could use the song to express paranoia, and there's a positive message at the end of the song to encourage [Oh, I'm gonna live til I die/I will live til I die].  On the other hand, for a suicidal person, this song could be bad.  Even the lyrics above could be triggering (depending on the person), and lyrics such as [I don't wanna go the way they say/If I gotta go let it be my way] could also be triggering.

Faster is one that I believe could be used therapeutically.  The song could be used to deal with difficulty with change (example lyrics: [faster than I can spin/the world turns and changes again]).  There is also some defiance in the song toward "they" [Then they pulled me to the side/They put their arms around me and led me inside/They told me I was not the only one in pain/But they console, they do not explain], and also toward religion [And there beside me in letters 10 feet tall/The words of God were scrawled on the wall/But I was not oblivious, I chose to ignore/For words explain, words do not restore].  It seems this song could also be used by a person to express anger toward religion, but could also be offensive to others.

Colossal is another one that could be used selectively for therapy.  I actually had this song running through my mind when I realized that I was making a "colossal mistake" earlier this month (and that also reminds me of Oliver Sack's book Musicophilia - buy the book and read chapter 4 where this sort of phenomenon is discussed).  That made me realize how powerful this song could be in dealing with making huge mistakes in life, and accepting the mistake.  The song offers no coping skills itself, but could be relatable to some people.  I do think there are some people would not benefit from the song, especially if they continually make "colossal mistakes" intentionally.  The song could be both an expressive outlet and reinforcer for that type of behavior.

That Golden Room is the only slow song on the album, and probably the best therapeutically.  The symbolism for "that golden room" could be used to describe home, and possibly some other type of comforting place that a person has left.  It expresses both longing for this place [I don't know what to do/I think I lost track of that golden room/If I find it again I will lock myself in/I don't know what to do], and hope and strength generated from the place [That memory left me hope/For a peace I cannot comprehend/I'll resolve in heaven/That ache heaven sent].


Overall, I like the album.  I don't think it's quite as good as Elijah Grab Your Gun (which I will review at a later time), but worth the money.  Go forth and listen!  :-)