Record Rack

*** Emiliana Torrini, “Love in the Time of Science,” Virgin. In her debut release, this 22-year-old singer does an exquisite job of balancing baby-doll vocals with sophisticated and cinematic electronic-orchestral soundscapes. Smooth but multifaceted down-tempo beats coupled with Torrini’s gentle voice and poetic musings on youth and the ever-tricky business of relationships give the record a melancholy ambience that will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Bjork. But where the latter borders on the avant-garde, Torrini keeps it simple and straightforward on this album.

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