As I arrive for a brief trip to Scandinavia to rehearse before heading to Germany to play with Anekdoten, I have been attempting to wrestle with time, removing the strands at night, slipping poison into its drink and even distracting it so it can’t see me surreptitiously scribbling onto paper, typing on a keyboard or even musing.
Alas I give in, so I will let you decide about this record with little prompting from me. You can judge this artist and the Icelandic art bug that seems to live in the water all by yourself. All I have to say is that this record, her first ‘international’ release has often been played on my archive stereo system – loud through the big speakers, my only regret is that I didn’t manage to ever find a vinyl copy. But then I would prefer to have a vinyl copy and a CD copy of everything, I suppose that’s eccentic, right? Cassette?
The album slightly Trip Hop and full of good songs was released in 1999 and the title was apparently inspired by Gabriel García Márquez’s novel Love In The Time Of Cholera and as it happens I also read that book.
So because time has me up against the wall, its finger in my face, threatening me and saying really scary things about chords and arrangements and guitar picks and strings and cases and schedule and flights and hotels, it might just be best if I post this and have you listen to a record that I really like that you might not know – yet.
The coming days may also be rather full so fill yourself up with this album so I can prize it out of time’s grasp and I will see you here as soon as possible. One last note – why is she called Torrini if she’s Icelandic? Well obviously because her Italian dad had an Italian restaurant in Reykjavik. Aka Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil%C3%ADana_Torrini
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_in_the_Time_of_Science
[01] To Be Free – 00:00
[02] Wednesday’s Child – 03:25
[03] Baby Blue – 07:20
[04] Dead Things – 11:25
[05] Unemployed In Summertime – 15:50
[06] Easy – 19:37
[07] Fingertips – 22:59
[08] Telepathy – 26:43
[09] Tuna Fish – 30:43
[10] Summerbreeze – 33:56
[11] Sea People – 37:44
Sounds great Loud, especially the bass. A little Bjorkish, dash of Massive Attack, from an original voice. Italian Ice.