Me and Armini heralds the return of Icelandic songsmith Emiliana Torrini. I was pleased to hear that on her fifth effort she hasn't lost of the innocent charm that allowed her previous releases to find a place in your heart. This is her most accessible effort to date, and is full of songs that despite their subtlety work on varying levels. She's got past those early comparisons with Bjork to develop a style all of her own.
The title track sees her breaking into completely new ground. Ska heavy but inherently catchy its a stand out track. Birds and Hold Heart are both very beautiful acoustic tracks which wouldn't be out of place on her previous effort Fisherman's Woman. Wonderfully, you can find yourself drifting away to many of these songs, under the influence of Emiliana's soaring, soft yet distinctive vocals. Jungle Drum on the other hand is without a doubt her most pop song to date, it dances around and is reminiscent of KT Tunstall in style and execution but manages to retain Emiliana's distinct style. She has clearly been listening to a vast range of music since her last record as the influences and styles introduced here are numerous. Gun introduces a funky bass riff which repeats through the song, something which makes it impossible not to nod your head in appreciation to.
This is another first class album from a talented woman who has yet to make a bad one. With the success of Feist, Emiliana deserves the same. Unfortunately she has yet to come up with a song about counting and thus remains in the record collections of those privilaged enough to have heard her brilliance.
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