another reinvention of her sound that mostly works in her favor
4
By cmt89
I first have to say, it's interesting that I see reviews saying Emiliana Torrini has returned to her "Love in the Time of Science" sound, because that isn't true at all. LitToS was basically a trip hop album, while Tookah is folktronica and electronic. In fact, none of ET's albums have the same sound, but she strings them all together with her soothing, Icelandic voice.
I think if you truly appreciate ET's style, you will have liked all of her albums, including Tookah, regardless of the different genres she navigates. Tookah is completely different from her past work, yet it's exactly the same somehow. It's a collection of beautiful songs expertly produced and polished by Dan Carey. The album ranges from Fisherman's Woman-esque folk to poppy, electronic beats. It's an odd genre that isn't for everyone, but if you've liked any of her work in the past, you will like Tookah.
There are a couple of flaws that prevent me from giving the album a 5/5: First, while it definitely goes for an electronic sound that sounds great 95% of the time, there are moments when the oberheim/swarmatron sound a bit out of place (for example, on some of the very folk-y songs). It sounds a bit like it was added in to make the album more cohesive and ends up comes off as a little tacked on and 80's-sounding. Second reason being that we waited 5 years and only got 9 songs! C'mon, Emiliana! It's great, but it feels like it's over too soon.
