Indie chanteuse Mirah continues to lead listeners through sonic tunnels; her second album, Advisory Committee, brims with love songs for strong, nomadic hearts. Often, what starts as a folk ditty ends as a sonorous whirlwind, and the trip is almost spiritual. Mirah"s guileless, Edie Brickell-ish vocal prowess is the only constant, the calm inside the storm. Advisory Committee opens with the artist"s most impressive feat to date--the stirring "Cold Cold Water." Its charging momentum, classic orchestral components, and use of environmental imagery bring to mind movie scores as opposed to indie rock. When Mirah sings, "Don"t take my love lightly," on the organ-fuelled "Light the Match," she ain"t kidding. She and coproducer Phil Elvrum (the Microphones) employ everything from creepy carnival music and wailing violins ("Special Death") to electro cut-and-paste trickery and out-of-tune acoustic guitars ("Mt. St. Helens"). But the album"s defining characteristic is how each arrangement lulls the listener while abruptly shifting gears. Advisory Committee is a rare gem--once you"re exposed to its transporting powers, you won"t want to leave. --Jeanne Fury