Holly Miranda: 'The Magician’s Private Library'

Not many unsigned artists have the clout to acquire the services of possibly the most in demand producer currently working within the indie/pop world to helm the recording process of their debut album - yet, in hiring TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek, this is exactly what Tennessee native Holly Miranda has done.

A cursory listen to this collection of dream pop will tell you that Sitek clearly has an ear and eye for hip, marketable talent, for 'The Magician’s Private Library' contains everything that tastemakers are currently looking for in alternative pop, ranging from the otherworldliness of the title to the eclectic influences, the remix-friendly beats and Miranda’s eccentric, kooky vocals.

Opening track and the first single ‘Forest Green Oh Forest Green’ sets the tone for the album, with its nursery rhyme piano and tape distortion intro giving way to acoustic guitar, tape loops, jazz-inflected horns and Miranda’s pure, angelic vocal soaring above the instrumentation, accompanied by TOTR vocalists Kip Malone and Tunde Adebimpe.

'No One Just Is' marries a sinister dub track to a processed string melody of the type that John Barry might have composed had he written for Hitchcock rather than Bond, whilst 'Joints' possesses a similarly mellow groove overlaid by a foreboding, distorted Jonny Greenwood-esque arppegiated guitar figure juxtaposed against a breezy horn section. 'High Tide', based around a simple drum machine beat and piano melody, has a Bat For Lashes spooky intensity about it, but perhaps best of all is 'Everytime I Go To Sleep' which, with its woozy organ melody, swooning vocal and lyrics that ponder the magic of sleep, has an intoxicating innocence and charm.

At times the album loses its momentum with a couple of indistinct, nondescript songs ('Slow Burn Treason' being the worst offender), but in the main this is a well-crafted, fully realised debut that promises much.



Released on 22nd February 2010 by XL Recordings.

Written by Sam Monk.