Miranda Lee Richards
Los Angeles, California, United States | MAJOR | AFTRA
Music
Press
“Her latest album, LIGHT OF X is arranged for maximum magic-hour scintillation, and Richards' willowy voice brings deceptively cutting lyrics to life."
November 19, 2008
- August Brown
Possibly keeping the peace by momentarily standing in between the Reids was L.A.-based guest vocalist Miranda Lee Richards. (You may remember her from the rockmumetary Dig, in which she stares at the camera and begs Brian Jonestown Massacre basketcase Anton Newcombe, "Please don't die!") Miranda sang the girly part of "Just Like Honey" last night, and though she may not have as marquee-worthy a name as Scarlett Johansson, I must say she did a better job.
- Lindsay Parker
“For an artist mentored by Metallica's Kirk Hammett who has also worked with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Miranda Lee Richards is one mellow musician. The follow-up to her 2001 debut evokes her Cali dream-pop heroes Mazzy Star, although Richards' music is airier and poppier — think of it as freak folk with just a schmear of freak. ‘Life Boat’ is a big, warm hug with dub effects, pedal steel and hash-den tambourine; ‘Mirror at the End’ sports a chorus big enough for Sheryl Crow. Delivered in a pure, unblemished voice, even the sad songs are comforting…”
Run date: 2/19/09
- Will Hermes
Interview Magazine:
"Billy Bob Flails, Ben Folds Fails, and Miranda Lee Sails"
R. Crumb goddaughter Miranda Lee Richards tosses up a recipe for mescaline salad that calls for tape- looped guitars, sitars, Beatles-esque strings, some Stones psychedelia and a sprig of French romantic decadence (Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil). Given time and a taste for sin, she might well be the Marianne Faithfull for a new millennium.
-Henry Cobot Beck
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Blender:
Once an underground rocker, Richards turns now to psychedelic pop for her solo debut
One might expect a singer formerly associated with the obscure 60's inspired San Francisco rock band Brian Jonestown Massacre to release a debut full of crazy underground rock and roll. Instead, Miranda Lee Richards has crafted a rapturously tuneful album of soothing '60's pop melancholia, merging breathy melodies and richly orchestrated arrangements into moments of quiet, hypnotic intensity. On some of the songs, (notably "The Long Goodbye" and her creamy cover of the Stone's "Dandelion"), she gets by with a little help from friends Jon Brion, who produces Aimee Mann, and That Dog drummer Joey Waronker. With a mildly psychedelic sound rooted in strings, shimmering keyboards, and softly shifting drums, The Herethereafter is a stunning debut from one of pop's prettiest voices.
-Michael Moses
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Paper Magazine:
"Miranda Lee Richards is Ready to Rock"
Miranda Lee Richards is ready to rock. After supporting herself modeling for 10 years, she has recorded her first album. Due in May, The Herethereafter (Virgin), is a trippy mixture of what she calls "pure psychedelic country-pop." Raised in San Francisco, she began modeling when she was just 14. "I tried to keep a low profile, but I ended up posted on every bus bench in L.A," says Richards, who began writing songs with her guitar, piano, and harmonica in her spare time. She also found time to star in America Year Zero, a movie shot at Burning Man last September, in which she plays a somber young woman whose life is overflowing with messy drama. It sounds far from her reality---these days, she's pretty happy about her new career---and her life in L.A. "I love it, a lot of very creative people have moved here," she says. "You only see the boobs and blonde hair in the summer."
-Jason Sellards
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Pulse:
Just as John Lennon did with his 1971 classic Imagine, Miranda Lee Richards wanted "to make the most beautiful music in the world." The 25-year old singer/songwriter achieves what she calls her "original vision" with her resplendent-sounding debut, The Herethereafter (Virgin).
Richards was born and raised in one of the Bay Area's more ultra-liberal environments and it was that hippie-esque carryover that afforded the 26-year-old the wherewithal to live in a tent upon her arrival in Los Angeles six years ago. "I was pissed about that," Richards calmly reflects about the situation brought on because of her then-boyfriend. "We were having problems in our relationship and that intensified it. Yes, it was an issue."
After moving out of the tent, and into her own apartment, she soon began modeling for Calvin Klein, but it was playing "soft" music that would ultimately prevail. "That’s what gave me focus in Los Angeles," she explains, "and made modeling bearable." Needless to say, with her first single, "The Beginner," and her debut effort raising more than a few eyebrows, the sacrifices have obviously paid off. "It took a little longer than I thought, but I also got lucky. It can be very hard in L.A.," exclaims Richards.
-Keith Ryan Cartwright
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Arts and Entertainment Preview:
"Psychedelic Heaven"
Miranda Lee Richards, an alumna of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, has a winning cross-generational appeal on her solo debut, The Herethereafter (Virgin). Baby boomers who haven't given up on the sixties will be thrilled with her gentle but authoritative command of melodic psychedelia. (If you thought the Beatles had it right with "Strawberry Fields" and the Stones had it right with "Dandelion," wonderfully updated here, you'll want to smoke a bongful of dried banana peels and stare at the sun.) Non-baby boomers will simply groove on the arrangements and marvel at her songwriting. She never lets the weirdness get in the way of the melodies, which is a miracle of taste in this Digital Age of Unlimited Noises. Lyrically, Richards manages to be personal without descending into the narcissism and excruciating relationship analysis that has flawed the work of many of her peers. Again, it's the sixties influence, the hippie vibe of freedom over societal constrictions. She's also been influenced by that master of nineteenth-century French psychedelia, Charles Baudelaire, whose poem "The Landscape" she adapts for a song. Baudelaire and Richards both are concerned with the transitor - various
"The soft but assured vocals of Miranda Lee Richards cast a glow upon the delicate, 60's inspired folk-pop on her new CD, LIGHT OF X (Nettwerk). The chiming guitars, strings and piano shine with a melancholy dreaminess, and so do Richards's lyrics. (‘Finally, there's something/I can hold onto that isn't broken’)."
February 2009
- Scott Frampton
“On LIGHT OF X, Richards sounds like a Southern California incarnation of ethereal Canadians Sarah McLachlan and Loreena McKennitt, dressing these 12 tracks with warmly swelling melodies; poetic, melancholy lyrics; carefully nuanced arrangements; and smooth dynamics that ebb and flow in a low-key manner.”
February 14, 2009
- Gary Graf
"Another L.A.-based artist, Miranda Lee Richards, has veered from the trendy norm, too, with her latest release, LIGHT OF X (Nettwerk). Sonic portraits of Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris color almost every track of this album (particularly ‘Hideaway’ and ‘Hidden Treasure’), and Richards feels no need to disguise her nod to these luminaries--nor should she. The singer successfully channels her hippie-princess vibe through wah-wah pedal steel and lithe soprano, resulting in retro-leaning, Baroque folk-pop perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. X reminds us, once again, that the creative Mecca Laurel Canyon is not just a place but also a sound and state of mind. "
December 2008
- Jessica Draper
“Seven years after her critically lauded debut, Richards returns…with touches of airy psychedelia and loping country. The album is full of airy beauty and precious melodies sung in an angelic voice.”
Year End/Winter, 2008-2009
- Frank Valish
“In 2001, Richards made a dreamy little pop record that hardly anyone heard, but it'll be hard to ignore her when her sophomore release, LIGHT OF X (Nettwerk), arrives Feb. 10. The boho-chic California native really honed her sound in the interim, even if she rarely stays in one spot for long on the new album. One minute she sounds like a sun-kissed pop chanteuse, the next she's channeling a dusky torch singer reminiscent of Cat Power. Miranda wrote all the songs on X, but her supporting cast brings a wealth of obvious influences: drummer Keith Mitchell (Mazzy Star), bassist Eva Gardner (Mars Volta), and guitarist Josh Schwartz (Beachwood Sparks).”
Sunday, January 11, 2009
- James Reed
”Glorious sun-dappled cosmic country from the one-time BJM associate. Like Mazzy Star blinking into the morning light, the yellow vinyl makes it even more sunny."
November 2007 - What's on the Stereo
Discography
The Herethereafter, Virgin (2001)
Early November EP, Nettwerk (November 2008)
Light of X, Nettwerk (February 2009)
Life Boat single, Nettwerk (October 2009)
Photos
Bio
MIRANDA LEE RICHARDS LIGHT OF X
Courtney Taylor from the Dandy Warhols calls my genre Pixie Fairy Dust Chick Music, Miranda Lee Richards laughs, from her home in Los Angeles. But I think another fitting description for Light of X might be Psychedelic Chamber Folk Rock.
Richards grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of Ted and Teresa Richards, stars of the underground comics revolution. Her father created The 40 Year Old Hippie; her mother was one of the founding editors and contributors of Wimmins Comix in the 1970s. Growing up, I got the message that if you do what you love to do, money will follow, just not a lot of it. It was a very Bohemian upbringing to put it lightly.
Richards played in school bands and sang in choir, but never considered music as a profession until her senior year of high school, when fate offered a unique hand. Her best friend began dating Kirk Hammett of Metallica, and Hammett taught Richards a few songs on guitar. As soon as I knew how to play, I started writing songs and immediately loved the marriage of the two art forms. Eventually I got a piano to expand my musical vocabulary.
Richards recorded her first demo in Hammetts basement studio. The then manager of the Brian Jonestown Massacre passed the recording along to singer Anton Newcombe, who asked Richards to sing with the group. Shortly thereafter, Ondi Timoner began filming the BJM for her seminal documentary DIG! (2004). In one scene, a hiker observed the all white-clad members of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and friends gathered on a mountain top location. Excuse me, he asked, is this a cult or a photo shoot? Miranda then candidly replied, Honestly sir, I dont know the answer to that question!
Miranda had since moved down the coast to LA to further pursue a music career. I played clubs and open mics while I did odd modeling jobs and made demos. A mutual friend introduced me to Rick Parker (producer/musician who went on to work with BRMC and The Von Bondies), and weve been working together ever since. After recording a few sets of demos, she signed with Virgin, and began tracking her debut, The Herethereafter.
The Herethereafter (credits include Jon Brion and David Campbell) enjoyed critical acclaim, and a heavy film and TV licensing history allowed her to continue playing music full time. Since its release, Miranda has collaborated in the studio or on stage with Tricky, Tim Burgess (Charlatans), Neil Halstead (Mojave Three), Tyler Hilton, Harper Simon, and the Jesus and Mary Chain. She joined The Jesus and Mary Chain for the West Coast leg of their 2007 tour, singing duets with Jim Reid on Sometimes Always and Just like Honey. In the fall of 2007, she toured the UK in support of a vinyl single called Life Boat on Sonic Cathedral (the song subsequently went on the receive a lot radio play on the BBC in 2009). In early 2008, she supported Tim Finn (Crowded House), and in late August she supported Neil Halstead, both on solo acoustic tours. Miranda has also shared the stage and opened for a diverse array of artists such as the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Nikka Costa, Susan Vega, Tift Meritt, Grant Lee Philips, The Black Angels, The Hounds Below (Von Bondies), Josh Kelly, The Warlocks, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Her full-length sophomore effort, Light of X, was relesed February 10, 2009 on Nettwerk Records.
Light of X is moody and introspective, the kind of music to play while youre getting dressed up at night, sitting by the phone, and waiting for it to ring. The album fairly shimmers with folk, country, psychedelic, and even classical influences. Richards and Parker assembled a top-notch group of players including Eva Gardner (Mars Volta, Tim Burgess) on bass; main drummer Keith Mitchell (Mazzy Star); Ben Peeler (Wallflowers, Shelby Lynne) on pedal steel, and Josh Schwartz (Beachwood Sparks) on guitar. Rick Parker produced, engineered, mixed the record, and played guitar; Richards composed the material including string arrangements, and played acoustic guitar, piano, and organ.
As a songwriter, Richards has an uncanny knack of finding the diamonds in the dust of every day life and the relationships within. Shes able to look at an average moment and describe it in a way that transforms it into something much more powerful, a talent evident on every tack of Light of X. The album balances Richards signature beautiful, close to the heart vocals, with music that has the wide open, spacious feel of a desert sky or an empty church. Call it Ambient Americana, or Richards self coined term Psychedelic Chamber Folk Rock if you like, Light of X is an album full of love and loss, desolation and salvation, both moody and comforting.
Even the darkest shadow is cast by the light.
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