Tiny changes
E. A Solinas | MD USA | 01/24/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Tiny's debut was a good-but-not-great one -- spare, quirky music made with only a few instruments, and Ellekari Larsson's weird little voice. But somehow, it fell short.
Such is fortunately not the case with "Starring: Someone Like You," a more polished and fleshed-out second album that shows the band's musical growth. It's a weird, enticing little collection of chilly Swedish pop tunes -- quite nice.
It opens with the echoing, chilly sound of "Kind of Like You," which is basically Larsson singing wistfully over a set of icy xylophones. "You wandered far too long/and I don't suppose that/you found what you've become," she croons. "I'd like to see you smile/then maybe you can drive..."
That's followed up by a swooning classical pop tune in "My Mother," and experimenting with as many styles as they can cram into their limited instrumentation: eerie choral pop about demons, quirky cello music, swirlingly ominous pop, shimmering little wispy balladry, haunting little chiming tunes, somnolent organs, and finally the bittersweet "Safe Than Sorry."
The Tiny is one of those bands that is hard to describe -- if I had to describe it, I'd call it the sound of Regina Spektor forming an anti-pop/anti-folk/anti-classical/anti-jazz band. Just quirky enough, but not too much.
What makes this so much better than the Tiny's first album is that their sound is much broader, lusher and more exquisite than before. Before, it was more minimalist -- now it's full blown indiepop. There are basically only three instruments in this band -- cello, double bass, and piano -- and all are played to swirl, soar and wrap around the listeners' ears.
Larsson's childlike voice is a lot like Spektor's as well -- she warbles, croons, and murmurs. And the lyrics she sings are very well-written as well: "Don't you dare to/let him paint your picture/and you'll... become... the fool," she sings ominously. "She's standing beside you/not aware/that you don't even care..."
The Tiny improve on their good-but-not-great debut, with the sumptuous, chilly pop of "Starring: Someone Like You." Quirky and sweet."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1