EM

A cool Icelandic chill resonates throughout Em’s debut album. The cold front mainly comes from vocalist Krista Ellis, who toddles into Björk’s igloo to borrow a dab of vocal range here and touch of squawk there, without the accent. Thankfully, accompanying her are the slow warming cocoa sounds that are available in several varieties. There is the leisurely, sugary, jazz taster (“Victory?”), caffeine tempo psych-pop (“Money’s on Washington”) and the mystery drug-drink that washes all the problems away with its originality (“Little Pinprick”). This last one focuses on medicating sounds and crafty lyrics that deal with ’90s psychotropic drugs that are prescribed by prescription mad doctors, and should be as relevant as Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” was in the ’60s. Ellis redeems herself with “Little Pinprick” by writing an intense song with potent lyrics without going musically crazy in the process. While Em do falter at times, this album appeal to goths who only have to take a small leap of musical faith to enjoy ElectraMagic, but more importantly to people who couldn’t be bothered to get in touch with their dark side in the past.