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June 14, 2005

Emiliana Torrini, Doug Fir, 6/13

Randburg.com lists Iceland's three main exports as:

• Fisheries products USD 1,237 million.
• Manufactured goods USD 269 million.
• Services USD 636 million.

However, they really should add a fourth category: quirky, fairie-folky female singers. Like her fellow Icelander Bjork, Emiliana Torrini is cute as a button, dresses oddly (last night, she appeared to be wearing some sort of psychedelic Lily Pulitzer muumuu), and has a gorgeous voice. Unlike Bjork, she doesn't feel the need to bury that voice beneath mountains of distortions or effects, preferring to keep her sound minimal.

While Torrini has been getting some indie and college radio airplay recently, her music might be best known to hardcore geeks; she is voice behind “Gollum’s Song” on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I ended up going mostly because it was Monday night, I was bored, and her publicist emailed me and put me on the list. I ran in to some friends in the upstairs bar and thus missed most of the opening act, but was told later that her original opener had been detained at the border and her guitarist was filling in and performing some of his own material. I caught his last song, which was pleasant and soft and which I honestly have no recollection of less then twelve hours later.

The downstairs room was almost empty, and the staff has scattered tables around the floor in order to make the room look more full. I’d put the crowd at about a hundred, maybe one fifty. The were mostly older and not the usual “Portland show” crowd; at one point a middle aged man walked past me wearing a sweater tucked in to jeans. Overall, it felt more like a coffee shop then a nightclub. Torrini acknowledged the low turnout by relating an anecdote about playing a festival in front of “three people and a kitten,” then played “Today’s Been OK.”

While all of her songs were lovely, her between song banter was the most interesting part of the evening. She related stories about her high school thrash metal boyfriend and her first meeting with collaborator Bill Callahan of Smog, the latter incorporating the phrase “camel toe spotting” (apparently a sport in Texas). She also told the crowd that “Sunny Road,” which is currently being played regularly on KCRW, was written for Johnny Cash.

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t stay for the entire show; I left at about ten to eleven, after she’s been on stage for almost an hour. The reason for this is twofold: one, I usually listen to weird harsh noise and am used to seeing twenty minute sets, and two, I am old lady with a day job. Overall, it was a pretty pleasant way to kill a Monday night.

Drinks drunk: one vodka cran (again, old lady with a day job).

Posted by Cortney Harding at June 14, 2005 9:35 AM

Comments

thanks for reviewing cortney. you should review some of that harsh noise stuff too if you feel like it.

Posted by: matt at June 14, 2005 11:07 AM

I will, although my reviews will probably read something like: "band came on. band destoryed stuff for ten minutes. we drank beer. my eardrums are blown."

Off topic: can you send me the July Holocene calendar? Just what you've got so far. Thanks!

Posted by: Cortney at June 14, 2005 11:33 AM

"Unlike Bjork, she doesn't feel the need to bury that voice beneath mountains of distortions or effects, preferring to keep her sound minimal."

This is a really weird thing to say. Maybe you've only heard a few of Björk's albums, but there is plenty out there featuring her voice as the focal point of the song. I would say she is more interested in pursuing interesting and progressive music, not "burying her voice" as you say.

I think Emiliana is okay, but shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as the innovative and engaging Ms. Gudmonsdottir.

Posted by: J_John at June 14, 2005 2:57 PM

I guess I'm at a place where I'm just more interested in purity, where Bjork seems to be going in a different direction. I'm a fan, don't get me wrong, but I wish she would pare down a little more.

And I think Emiliana is pretty damn amazing, especially after last night's show.

Posted by: Cortney at June 14, 2005 8:58 PM

right after i read your review i heard this lady performing live on kexp. it was really really beatiful. check the archive on their site.

i think bjork is amazing too!

Posted by: matt at June 15, 2005 10:20 AM