Weekly Release Spotlight: Emiliana Torrini

Posted on 9/23/2008

Emiliana Torrini

Me And Armini

[Rough Trade]

Hailing from both Italy and Iceland, two countries whose musical romanticists and dramatists don't exactly scream "unassuming," Emiliana Torrini's quiet and gentle style refreshingly stands out. Add this to her past experience co-writing tunes for both pop diva Kyle Minogue and the ornate extravagance that was the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and it becomes quite clear why she strives for the simple and the soft on Me and Armini, her sixth album. And yet, the picturesque environments from which she originates are not totally eradicated in her sound. They sit calmly and naturally in the shadows of her subtly plucked strings, raising the bar for singer-songwriters everywhere.

Much of this detailed soundscaping can surely be attributed to the album's producer/collaborator Dan Carey, who recently beefed up Hot Chip's robotic minimalism for their singles "Shake A Fist" and "Ready For The Floor." While that decision may have been more commercially driven, his experience working with Emiliana on her other two internationally distributed releases, Love In The Time Of Science and Fisherman's Woman, has proven him an integral and interwoven aspect of fleshing out her intimate mood pieces without taking away her authorial voice. The two obviously trust each other - whenever Torrini's voice sprouts forth from the background textures, Carey lets her shine. When she reserves herself to crisp chord progressions or piano meditations, Carey roams free with ambience.

This delicate and rich balance, as calculated as it may be, never fails to emote either, especially with Torrini's sometimes cautious, sometimes distraught vocalizing. And the former is just as heart-wrenchingly effective, feeling like slight ripples of great magnitude in the album's percussion-free tracks, whether her primary motive is uncertain mocking in the bubbling "Ha Ha" or world-weary supplicating in the airy "Beggar's Prayer." The desperately distraught numbers vary in content as well - she gets fiery in manners both playful (the wild "Jungle Drum") and suspenseful (the intense "Heard It All Before"). Vast emotional and musical ranges sparkle throughout Armini despite her inclination to keep things subdued, so peer in: Torrini's universe is here for us to absorb, not be assaulted by.

Written by Chris Polley, Radio K volunteer and host of Now Like Photographs.