The Magician’s Private Library

Although she first gained notice as a key member of the guitar-based rock band The Jealous Girlfriends, singer/songwriter Holly Miranda's solo debut is a much more delicate affair. The Magician's Private Library puts Miranda's dreamy mezzo-soprano in front of looped electronics, atmospheric synths, and horns. Library was produced by TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek, so it comes as no surprise that much of the backing smacks of his band's sound. (Considering that Sitek contributed bass, samples, and guitar throughout the 10-track set, Kyp Malone provided vocals on "Slow Burn Treason," and Jaleel Bunton played drums and guitar on several other numbers, it's even less of a surprise.) Despite the familiar-sounding surroundings, Miranda's vocals are still the centerpiece, with her hooky verses sometimes sung in arpeggios, often layered, and occasionally half-spoken. The lush, hazy orchestrations, featuring bluesy chords, muted horns, and haunting strings, often make for a less theatrical version of fellow Brooklyn chanteuses St. Vincent or My Brightest Diamond. But poignant lines like "You must speak your life into existence" in "Waves" and "This love does no one justice / No one just is" in "No One Just Is" make Miranda just as compelling as her contemporaries.