Torrini on Ice

Without Björk and Grey's Anatomy, there would be no Lykke Li or Bat for Lashes or Emiliana Torrini. The world would not be safe for cuckoo girl singers who know a thing or three about making music that's off-kilter and gorgeous at the same time. For Torrini's third album — Me and Armini, due from Rough Trade in September — the Icelandic pixie takes a further step away from her folkie roots and toward her fellow countrywoman's elliptical pop. Sure, the album features plenty of glacial ballads full of sorrowful strings and her weeping-willow voice. But there are also wonderful peculiarities like the title tune, a lilting reggae track that spins the story of an Italian stalker who tried to move in with the singer and her family. Who knew Torrini could pull off an impersonation of a Nordic Dawn Penn? On "Heard It All Before," she uses handclaps for rhythm and punctuation, delivering a jazzy vocal worthy of the Bird and the Bee; on "Jungle Drums," she approximates the "runka-dunka-dum" of the titular instrument over spasmodic clitter-clatter. "Ha Ha" and "Gun" are spooky noirish tales with plucked guitar and creepy noises slithering around breathy vocals. Perhaps the most instructive song is "Big Jumps," which recommends everyone leap before they look. From the sound of Me and Armini, Torrini has taken her own advice.

Anya Marina opens.
Tue., Aug. 18, 8 p.m., 2009