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Ellekari Larsson and The Tiny conceive a cinematic world in their sophomore release Starring; Someone Like You, a follow-up to 2004's Close Enough. Often sounding more like the soundtrack to a musical than the quirky indie pop they had offered on their debut, Starring; Someone Like You is slightly uneven - in that it meanders more often than one would hope. According to vocalist Larsson, each song had "its own universe" during the recording process, which has the ultimate consequence of making every few songs sound completely different than those that surrounding them. It is not that the songs themselves are uneven - far from it. Cellist Leo Svensson and contrabassist Johan Berthling complete the Swedish trio by providing a soundtrack from a slew of instruments in addition to their primary ones. These arrangements are crucial to the overall feel of the compositions. Larsson tinkers on a toy piano in "Kind of Like You," backed by the organic timbre of cello and organ juxtaposed with the buzzy sound of synths and production-laced effects. Such instruments accentuate Larsson's simple vocal delivery - for those unfamiliar, comparisons to Bjork would not be inappropriate. The trumpet-vocal coupling in "Know Your Demons" is suggestive of a choir of those demons. The album's center-piece "Dirty Frames" is chock-full of frenzied violins and booming double bass, all held together by an 80's dance beat. Lyrically, the songs continually return to the reference point of the title, whether that refers to a significant other, a family member, or Larsson herself. Starring; Someone Like You is successful in lifting the listener to another universe thanks to these often-irregular lyrics. Yet tracks like the cinematic duet "Sorry" or the dragging "My Mother" will lead to pacing problems for the casual listener, making the ten-track effort seem much longer than it actually is. This is not to say that The Tiny's vision should have been compromised to exclude the less poppy tracks; merely that it is necessarily an interactive album that will take multiple listens to discover the buried layers. However, the bizarre accessibility of tracks like the circus-esque "They Say It's Weird" will easily draw listeners back to assure this will happen.

The Tiny at Amazon & Insound