Triple J recommends... #4

[Triple J]

Emiliana Torrini - Love In The Time Of Science

Released in 1999. If you've seen "the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," and heard "Gollum's Song" at the end, that's Emiliana Torrini singing. She's descended from Iceland and Italy, and lives in England. She has a soft, soothing, almost hypnotic voice. "Two Towers" wasn't my first exposure to her. A couple of years earlier, I saw her on "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn." I thought she was just OK, but it gained enough of my attention to look for samples from her album on the web. I really liked each sample I heard, so I thought "what the heck" and bought the CD... and I haven't stopped playing it since! Her style is mostly "electronica," with a melancholy tone. Not too many upbeat songs here. People have compared her to Bjork, but I think they're way different from each other. Emiliana has more of a mainstream, "user-friendly" sound. Not a lot of lyrics, but has just enjoyable music. I think they put a really good band together. All right, let's take a look at the tracks...

1. To Be Free - Sets the tone with a jazzy rhythm. I like the drums and... I believe it's a xylophone.
It shouldn't hurt me to be free, it's what I really need... to pull myself together... but if it's so good being free, would you mind telling me... why I don't know what to do with myself

2. Wednesday's Child - One of my faves. Opens with a soft electric piano, then flows with a cool smooth beat.
Scatterbrain... you've been crying in the rain... you've been drowning in your pain... ain't gonna die... do the right thing... win or lose... don't confuse... Wednesday's child

3. Baby Blue - Another of my faves. GREAT guitars and keyboards on this!
'Tween the pleasure and the pain... wishing your life away... no more sinister than sane... briefing your life away... 'tween the flicker and the flame... no one can explain... baby blue is born again

4. Dead Things - Dark, slow, hypnotic. I can almost feel the anguish in her voice.
You're like me, we're both alone... what's the problem, I don't know... we're the same height, the same eyes... but you can't borrow my clothes all the time... bad things, dead things... sad things have to happen... sometimes

5. Unemployed In Summertime - Picking it up to another jazzy pace. You can hear cameras clicking in the background. I like the drums and the bass riff.
Unemployed in summertime, I've only just turned 21, I'll be OK... unemployed in summertime, don't need money 'cause we're young, I'll just stay awake 'til the morning, with make up all over my face

6. Easy - You can "sway" to this one. It has a funky "wah wah" guitar riff. Good drums on this too.
But I... I... don't have time to play, so put your toys away... don't take it easy... why should we take it easy

7. Fingertips - BIG fave of mine. No, it's not the Stevie Wonder tune. A slow-paced techno track. When I hear it, it's like I'm being taken on a ride through outer space. Has a smooth, steady drum beat.
This comical wisdom creeps into my brain... a wave of my nerve and oh so free of pain... yet my fingertips... have a special sound, yet my fingertips... they go round and round

8. Telepathy - The only real "dance number" on the album. Still not very fast. Good mixture of techno synthesizers and guitars.
I can see into your eyes... deepest blue of winter skies... why is it so, we never know... what we have until it's gone... until we burn, we never learn... what we have until it's gone

9. Tuna Fish - Another jazzy one. Very mellow. Her vocals are given an interesting "shallow" effect here.
Did you know that tuna fish float up to the surface... belly to the moonlight just to cool their heart down... 'cause it helps them just to think about the hurtful things... I guess it's just one way to get them some sedation

10. Summerbreeze - And no, it's not the Seals & Crofts tune. This one's a soft acoustic ballad. And I'm telling you, it's one of the prettiest songs I have ever heard in my life!
Well summerbreeze is blowing through your window... and summerbreeze is blowing through your hair... and something in your eyes that you cannot disguise... don't tell me it ain't there

11. Sea People - Another slow pretty one, very short. Nice way to end the album. These are all the lyrics:
Can you ever see me as you did before... can you ever see me like you did once more... when I look into your eyes, I can breathe in water like you... when you say goodbye my lungs ache filled with water, 'cause I will always love you

Please add your thoughts.

[lora]

I've never seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies, but I am familiar with some of the music from the series. That Annie Lennox song from the last movie was brilliant, and I know there are a lot of similar styles on the soundtracks to the other films as well. If this is in the style that I imagine, I'm sure it's quite good. I may have to sample some of this. Does she have a website?

[Triple J]

Lora said:

I've never seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies, but I am familiar with some of the music from the series. That Annie Lennox song from the last movie was brilliant, and I know there are a lot of similar styles on the soundtracks to the other films as well. If this is in the style that I imagine, I'm sure it's quite good. I may have to sample some of this. Does she have a website?

Here's a German site: www.emiliana.de/

When you click on enter, the next page should have a menu across the top. Click on "audio" to hear samples from the album. To get an english translation of the rest of the site, you can try a Google.com search, and then click on "translate this page." Hope you like it!