Emiliana Torrini - Fisherman's Woman
By: Mark Runyon | Category: Album Archive | 07/04/05 | 11:43 PM
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 Grade: B+ |
Genre: Quiet
Summary: It's a beautiful work by an evolving songwriter, not afraid to slip into the evening gown of change and show it off to the ball.
Listening to music is like getting involved in a relationship. The first time you meet a new album; you bring with you all the baggage of a lifetime worth of listening. You factor in how it measures up to the artist's previous albums (the ex factor), how they fit in amongst other artists plying their trade in the same genre (other potential hotties) and your particular tastes and affinities (your thing for blondes). It is a lot for any artist to live up to and, depending on when they hit us, we may start thinking marriage and children or just stop calling. Should we stumble across her a couple years later, or even a couple weeks, you may hear a completely different album. Yes, the notes are the identical and the harmony speaks from the same voice, but you aren't the same listener that you were in that moment that you first queued it up. For example, Depeche Mode's Songs of Faith and Devotion was an album that left a bitter taste in my mouth on first listen. Years later, I gave it another try and instantly loved it. Such is the case with Emiliana Torrini's Fisherman's Woman. When I first heard this several weeks ago, I was ready to dismiss it as the best over the counter sleep aid on the market. Today... |
I see a great down tempo work, subtle in its charms and unaware of its striking beauty. This album operates is in the minimalist tradition of Nick Drake, Teitur, and the Kings of Convenience. These are artists who craft their sound in the spacing and the pauses, sculpting those perfect moments. As Simon and Garfunkel taught us, the sound of silence can be a powerful thing in the right hands. In the wrong hands, it can replace counting sheep as your favorite evening pastime. It's like walking a razor thin tight rope, yet when it's pulled it off, it can be a beautiful experience to absorb.
The Icelandic queen's debut, Love in the Time of Science, was quite an engaging display. It was light and spritey, sort of like Portishead's fun loving cousin. The complaint can be made that she was coping a lot of the trip hop sound that was popular in those days. While she was never Tricky, she had her own unique flavor that stood tall among the crowded field. Science showed tremendous potential from this young artist, putting her at the head of everyone's "to watch" list. Her sophomore outing turns out to be a very unconventional one. Torrini has abandoned those trendy stuttered beats for the deafening quiet.
It's a jarring transition for the listener to make at first, but once Emiliana shows you that there are more musicians to her than you first thought, you begin to ease into this new definition of her. "Nothing Brings Me Down" opens Fisherman's Woman seeming to declare that just because these tunes are quiet, doesn't necessarily mean they are simmering in sadness and depression. "Sunny Road" sounds like Julie Delphy lightly musing over a summer Parisian romance in Before Sunset. The faint guitar strum serenade her lovely voice, drawing a past love out of hiding to see if there's any feeling left to make the relationship breathe anew.
It's interesting that the tempo sticks in place throughout the album. Even the aforementioned artists would shake up the set every now and again by clicking up the beat a notch to force a little variety into the mix. Perhaps, they were giving the record label a track or two to run up the flagpole as the single. This steady journey is what makes Fisherman's Woman hard to digest on the first handful of listens. Until tracks start breaking off from the fold to establish a life of their own, this set lulls you to sleep. Once you turn that corner, you see the colors turn vibrant and rich where there was only black and white before.
"Heart Stopper" is a nice innocent ballad reminiscent of her carefree ways on Science's "Fingertips." It seems to be the remembrance of love at its confusing, nonsensical best. All these tracks seem to chronicle love in its first flirting glance, as it ages gracefully and when it haunts you three feet past the grave. The final two numbers ("Thinking Out Loud" and "Serenade") don't offer the collection much. It's like the thought carried on a little long. The abbreviated "Fisherman's Woman" would have been a good act to close on.
This album is the Audrey Hepburn of down tempo. On first glance, she's attractive, but the exoticism of Brigitte Bardot and the blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe overshadows her. As the night begins to wane and the conversation starts to really catch, you see that Hepburn is the girl with the lively spark and fluid personality. She's the one who can unknowingly seduce you with a smile, make you forget the other people milling about the room, and find yourself talking to someone you've known your entire life yet just met moments ago. That is Torrini's latest. It's understated and quiet as she softly brushes up against you. In this hyper paced world of music, it's not bold enough to snare your notice, yet she doesn't give up. She keeps purring and cooing until she stands out by virtue of what she's not. You finally see the elegance of the lyrical art and the quiet of her shy voice as the excesses of music fall away, until you are faced with its essence. It's a beautiful work by an evolving songwriter, not afraid to slip into the evening gown of change and show it off to the ball.
Buy Emiliana Torrini's Fisherman's Woman, and check out "At Least It Was" currently being featured on Live 365's Innovative Radio.
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