Holly Miranda’s debut album, The Magician’s Private Library, is full of slow, atmospheric tunes, sort of like singer-songwriter material with a heavy dose of Pink Floyd. But at the Black Cat backstage last night, her songs came alive with a surprisingly aggressive rhythmic base; Miranda’s vocals, almost wispy on record, proved soulful and remarkably powerful in person. She even casually name-dropped Diamanda Galas, and while she doesn’t plumb the depths of hell with her voice like the notorious Greek vocalist, she certainly displayed an impressive vocal range that was matched well by her compositions.

More photos from the show after the jump; also see the photos from Miranda’s February performance at the Warner Theatre opening for Tegan & Sara.

Brooklyn’s Grooms opened: