Holly Miranda - The Magician's Private Library
Detroit raised and Brooklyn based Holly Miranda’s debut release is an intriguing one. Upon first listen, it doesn’t seem like a record from a singer-songwriter. It’s swathed in production, each part seemingly more prominent than Miranda’s own vocal performance. The man behind the production, TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, gives the album a hazy dreamy feel. ‘Forest Green Oh Forest Green’ is an interesting choice for the first track of the record; you could be forgiven for wondering just how much Holly Miranda had to do with the creation of 'The Magician’s Private Library'. However, further on into the album you get, you realise that Holly Miranda is in complete control of her craft. Her airy vocals soar high above the lush production and become the focal point and rightfully so. On the gentle ‘Waves’, Holly Miranda shows off her sultry laid back voice, an air of mystery surrounding the whole thing. ‘Slow Burn Treason’ is a half awake dreamy song, Miranda’s voice earnestly arresting, the smooth production complementing her emotive vocals perfectly.
The swirling music and arty flourishes make the album into something quite special, rather than drowning out Miranda’s expressive voice, the swelling instrumentation brings it out and long after the music has died, the vocals are still drifting incessantly in your head. The gorgeously twinkling ‘Everytime I Go to Sleep’ is a definite highlight and is as perfect as you could want a song to be. The production on 'The Magician’s Private Library' is flawless. Other than the dubious start where it’s not quite clear just who Holly Miranda is, you quickly realise that the songs are deeper than first perceived.
For a singer, the idea of lush production and instrumentation being at the forefront of your creation is an odd proposition and Holly Miranda does get swamped underneath the lavish production at times, but without it, 'The Magician’s Private Library' would be far less enjoyable. For a debut, it’s an odd creation. It’s beautiful, mysterious, lavish and well crafted, but the fact that this is a singer’s album makes it an increasingly odd choice of production. However the dreamy haze of 'The Magician’s Private Library' is engaging and delightful, making it an impressive and beautiful debut.