Cannibal Cheerleader

Holly Miranda is a singular talent and to not celebrate this remarkable album would be a notorious crime. The Magician’s Private Library combines Miranda’s individual songwriting prowess and shimmering guitarwork with brilliantly layered production-work care of TV on the Radio’s David Sitek. While the combination may seem initially odd, especially so considering Miranda’s work with the blues and stomp-rock group the Jealous Girlfriends, but the singer’s sultry growl belies a tender lyrical catalog, hushed and particular with nuance and character. When churned through the syrupy Sitek hopper Miranda’s haunting tracks take on a whole new life, flitting across the speakers like ghostly apparitions, bouncing off the many effects pedals like weightless spirits. Truly a remarkable record that combines a blues rock motif with a many-layered production for a truly one of a kind product. Easily one of our favorites of the year.

Holly Miranda – “Ex-Factor”

The Magician’s Private Library remains a singular, wildly imaginative effort rewarding countless listens with its depth and longing, none of its tracks superlative or unnecessary, and operating as a complete and all-encompassing work. So for Holly Miranda to attempt to dip from this same well of inspiration, to add to this record’s legacy so soon could only be cautioned against – there exists no need to crawl the cutting room floor, to discover the extraneous snippets that could only make a record bloated and tired. But then, how to capitalize on one’s audience desire for more tracks in a similar vein? Miranda seems to have choses the logical step and takes her syrupy brand of pedal-pushing folk rock to the land of indie-rock covers.

With an artist selection ranging from David Byrne to Swans, Miranda’s keen gaze upon the varied rock landscape proves piercing, as she unearths emotion and slow-burning heat from each and every note. Remaining true to the source material in overall tone and feeling Miranda injects elements all her own, from her haunting production techniques to her bluesy, pained vocal work creating rewarding listens and beautiful takes on a series of classic tunes. Overall a fantastic listen a great stop-gap to whatever may be next on Miranda’s journey.

Holly Miranda – “God Damn the Sun (Swans cover)”

The Cannibal Cheerleader Crew caught Holly Miranda performing an in-store performance at End of an Ear records on Wednesday in what was easily the standout performance of the SXSW 2010 Fest so far. Away from the hipster hordes and with only her talent to lean on, not riding a wave of unfounded hype, the chanteuse sounded as if descended from heaven, dripping down like the torrents of thunder that her guitar pedals created. Performing alone with only her touring guitarist providing backup in front of a sparsely populated record store crowd, Miranda invited all the listeners into her woozy, bluesy world of haunting fuzz-filled guitar swathes and twangy, soulful melodies, equal parts exposed and honest as well as murky and ghostly. Blasting through already classics like “Waves” and “Sleep On Fire” the singer-songwriter proved to be the greatest find of SXSW 2010 for this music journalist – her captivating presence and her singular sound hewing the hyped competition in half left and right.

Holly Miranda – “Waves”

************************************************************

From the best show of SXSW 2010 to the greatest find of the festival, we turn to local act Megafauna who stunned the CCC at a house party on the East Side. Not to be confused with the Bon Iver associated act Megafaun, Megafauna is an Austin-based rock trio featuring riot grrrl extraordinaire Dani Neff as the axe-wielding guitar goddess in the vein of Marnie Stern and Ume’s Lauren Larsen with a taste for experimentalism and whip-crack heroics. While Stern relies chiefly on sheer speed and finger-picking, and Larsen throttles with waves of crushing sound, Neff pummels with pedal-less snarl, letting her Hendrix-inspired sensibilities do the talking as the group’s excellent rhythm section, featuring slap-bass and crashing drums, supply a smorgasbord of indie-rock madness for all to enjoy. Not enough can simply be said about this group whose loud-quiet-loud formula mixed with supremely satisfying and amazing guitarwork lead to a band that can kick out the jams with gusto while still granting themselves an experimental edge. Definitely check them out!

With South By Southwest 2010 gearing up here in Austin this week, Cannibal Cheerleader features five ‘under-the-radar’ bands that will be playing the festival that are “must-sees” for anyone looking to find the musical needle in the haystack.

Holly Miranda

Having put out the strongest album of 2010 so far with the Magician’s Private Library, it will be interesting to witness how Holly Miranda converts her David Sitek-produced, dense orchestral soundtrack into a live setting. Look to spot some serious stripped-down blues rock and roll at End of an Ear on Mar. 18th at 2pm at End of An Ear.

Holly Miranda – “Waves”

Salome

With SXSW finally featuring some serious metal acts on its roster (High on Fire, Torche, and Dillinger Escape Plan come readily to mind) it’s no wonder that they’re selecting some up-and-comers to pummel new audiences as well. With a riff-heavy production complimented by shrieked female vocals, Salome are poised to pierce every eardrum at Emo’s at 2:50pm on March. 17th.

Salome – “The Vivification of Ker” 

White Dress 

Local favorite and Cannibal Cheerleader approved blues masters, White Dress are the best band to come out of Austin in years and more than deserving of all the positive press they’re going to inevitably receive. Check these rockers before their blues is about being too rich instead of too poor – we’ll be catching them at 1:15 Friday March 19th at 1711 S. Congress – Frontgate Tickets Day Show!

Follow That Bird! 

Even though the ferocious females in Follow that Bird! have been on the Cannibal Cheerleader radar for quite some time now they’re just now starting to get the much deserved national recognition for their brand of Sleater-Kinney riffage and rip-snarl musicianship. Check them out at the Dikes of Holland House Party at 4pm on Friday March 19th. 

Follow That Bird! – “The Ghosts That Wake You”

Treasure Mammal

Enough can’t be said about the inimitable Treasure Mammal – go to this show and you will have the best time of your life. Every year artists keep getting closer and closer to what CC has come to refer to as the “T-Mammal factor”, and that is their artistic proximity to the phantasmagorical experience of a Treasure Mammal show. Check him out to start off your fest Wednesday at Domy Books at 12:40pm.

Treasure Mammal – “Best Friends Forever”

Lastly folks, don’t try to do it all, buy a strong lock for your bike (don’t even bother driving), and come see She & Him with us Saturday night as Auditorium Shores to polish off an incredible week.