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 Wimmin’s Comix in the 1970’s. “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, 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 and everything just clicked. Eventually I got a piano to expand my musical repertoire.”
Richards recorded her first demo in Hammett’s basement studio. Dave Deresinski, 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 don’t know the answer to that question.”
Richards had since moved down the coast to LA to further pursue a music career. “I played clubs and open mics while I worked odd 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 we’ve 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 over 40 film and TV licenses that allowed her to continue playing music full time. Since it’s release, Miranda has collaborated in the studio with Tricky, Tim Burgess (Charlatans), Neil Halstead (Mojave Three), Joe Firstman, and The Shore. 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; in early 2008, she supported Tim Finn (Crowded House), and in late August she supported Neil Halstead, both on solo acoustic tours. The Early November EP was released digitally November 4, 2008 on Nettwerk Records; the full-length sophomore effort, Light of X, is due for worldwide release February 10, 2009.
Light of X is moody and introspective, the kind of music to play while you’re 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. She’s 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’ 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.
“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.’”
Life Boat
Miranda Lee Richards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Woncha' stop your cryin'
The sunlight's bringin' rainbows to your tears
Cotton swayin' fields are the pillars of your sadness
The daylight dries the rusted leaves
You wake up it's a dream...
And it's a bright, sunny morning
Each day a new beginning
Sail across the ocean, the ocean deep and wide
The storm will bring you to the other side
Freedom, my love, is a double-sided coin
What have you done to earn your keep?
It's no longer a dream...
Each day a new beginning
Well it's all comin' back now
Well it's all comin'
So walk these broken roads
What's pretending might as well be lost
And raise the wall my only sons
You know I will follow, you know I might follow
You wake up it's a dream
It's a bright, sunny morning
Each day a new beginning
Well it's all comin' 'round...
...Ooh
These lyrics from Miranda Lee Richards's song "Life Boat" convey a sense of encouragement to a loved one who appears to be going through a difficult time. The opening line, "Oh my love, woncha' stop your cryin'," suggests that the singer is addressing someone close to them - perhaps a significant other, family member or friend - and trying to ease their pain. The imagery used in the following lines reflects this: "The sunlight's bringin' rainbows to your tears/ Cotton swayin' fields are the pillars of your sadness/ The daylight dries the rusted leaves." The use of metaphors paint pictures of nature and growth, which symbolize hope and change, and encourage the listener to find optimism and comfort in them.
The second verse goes on to discuss the concept of freedom being a “double-sided coin,” implying that there are always consequences or choices to be made in order to achieve freedom. There may be a storm ahead, but it will bring one to “the other side” - a new beginning. The bridge of the song, “Walk these broken roads/ What’s pretending might as well be lost/ And raise the wall my only sons/You know I will follow, you know I might follow,” encourages the listener to be true to themselves, shed any façades or pretense they might have, and to persevere despite difficult circumstances. In the end, the song suggests that every day could be a new beginning and things will come around in due time.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my love
Addressing the beloved with affection
Woncha' stop your cryin'
Asking the beloved to stop weeping
The sunlight's bringin' rainbows to your tears
The bright sun is making tears look like rainbows
Cotton swayin' fields are the pillars of your sadness
The swaying cotton fields remind the beloved of her sadness
The daylight dries the rusted leaves
The morning light dries the leaves that have rusted in the rain
You wake up it's a dream...
The beloved wakes up and realizes that it was a dream
And it's a bright, sunny morning
It's a beautiful morning with sunshine
Each day a new beginning
Every day is a fresh start
Well it's all comin' back now
Memories are flooding back
Sail across the ocean, the ocean deep and wide
Embarking on a journey across the vast ocean
The storm will bring you to the other side
Going through difficult times will bring you to a better phase
Freedom, my love, is a double-sided coin
Freedom comes with responsibilities
What have you done to earn your keep?
Asking the beloved what she has done to deserve what she has
It's no longer a dream...
Realizing that something is not a dream anymore
Each day a new beginning
Every day is a chance to start again
Well it's all comin' back now
Memories are returning
Well it's all comin'
Everything is coming back
So walk these broken roads
Encouraging the beloved to go on in spite of difficulties
What's pretending might as well be lost
Pretending to be someone you're not is pointless
And raise the wall my only sons
Protecting and nurturing one's children
You know I will follow, you know I might follow
Assurance of being there to support the beloved
You wake up it's a dream
Realizing that something is just a dream
It's a bright, sunny morning
A beautiful morning with sunshine
Each day a new beginning
Every day is an opportunity for a fresh start
Well it's all comin' 'round...
Things are coming full circle
...Ooh
An expression of emotions
Contributed by Chase A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.