Saturday, May 8th, 2010
CONTEST – Holly Miranda @ The El Mocambo – May 20, 2010
Frank YangI can’t pretend I wasn’t a bit disappointed when Holly Miranda departed The Jealous Girlfriends to strike out on her own – that outfit had a lot of potential that their debut only touched on – but after hearing where she went with The Magician’s Private Library, it’s understandable why it didn’t work. As eclectic as her former band’s stylings were, they were still very much a rock band and it’s hard to imagine there’d have been a place for the hazy, Sitek-scapes that suffuse her debut.
Miranda’s voice is a marvelous instrument; rich and expressive in timbre, soaring and swooping in range, and alternately anxious, smouldering, questioning and knowing. In short, it’s a hell of a thing to hear and for all the sonic busyness that fills the Library, Miranda’s vocals remains front and centre, impossible to overwhelm. The Magician’s Private Library isn’t the most immediate record, relying less on hooks than caresses, but unquestionably a beautiful one and with repeated listens, as the songs sink in, only gets better from there.
After a number of choice supporting engagements, Miranda is finally in the midst of her own headlining tour and having seen her perform at SxSW, I can report that the live experience is many times louder and in your face than the record, yet just as pretty. Don’t ask how, just accept and enjoy. The Toronto show is May 20 at the El Mocambo – tickets are $12.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts and Beggars Canada, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the show along with three copies of The Magician’s Private Library on vinyl in a fancy gatefold package. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Holly Miranda” if you want to go the show and “I want to check out the Magician’s Private Library” if you want the vinyl in the subject line and your full name (and mailing address for the LP) in the body, and get that in to me before midnight, May 17. Contest is open to residents of Canada and you can enter both if you like.
MP3: Holly Miranda – “Waves”
MP3: Holly Miranda – “Forest Green Oh Forest Green”
MySpace: Holly Miranda
Tags: Holly Miranda
![[Valid RSS]](http://www.chromewaves.net/images/interface/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed"){kind=small}
5/24/10 10:07 am
Holly Miranda and Braids at The El Mocambo in Toronto | MP3 Music at MixBurner says:[…] YangI’ve already document thoughts in this space about Holly Miranda on record – specifically her debut The Magician’s Private Library […]