Me and Armini
Rough Trade
It's been almost nine years since Emiliana Torrini captured the music world's attention with her fourth album, Love in the Time of Science, a disc rich in UK trip-hop influences, and three years since her Rough Trade Records debut, the pop-folk infused Fisherman's Woman. On Me and Armini, Torrini continues her flirtation with pop-sensibilities. From the album opener "Fireheads," it's clear Torrini knows how to write a polished hook and a solid chorus; on the disc's delicate closer, "Bleeder," she shows her knack for catching wistful moments to simmer over on summer nights. In between is a perfect blend of those extremes. "Big Jumps' is the most obvious track to get stuck in your head after just one listen, with a chorus that is at first glance incredibly obvious, but done in such a way that it's not a let down. In the end, all that matters is a well executed record that is the proper evolution of an artist destined to sit side by side with fellow Icelander Bjork as a gifted talent that even seven albums in, has just begun to perfect her sound.