The Tiny

Starring: Someone Like You

(Eyeball)

Record Review by Janelle Finamore

If you hate theater, or artsy-fartsy, semi-indecipherable music, then The Tiny are NOT for you. But if you absolutely love quirky, intellectual music and don’t mind hearing toy pianos, glockenspiels, scraping noises and rustling leaves, then you’ll love Starring: Someone Like You—an astounding theatrical production with a bit of classical influence.  For instance, a Haydnesque harpsichord introduces the final bonus track, while pump organs, cellos and French horns embellish “The Greatest Fear.”

The best track, “Sorry,” emphasizes the beautiful voices of Ellekari Larsson and Mikael Marin as they sing a duet about snow turning to gold. This is like listening to a Moulin Rouge song, except with even more powerful lyrics such as “Eyelashes cut me away just like a curtain draws.” Another highlight can be heard in “My Mother,” where the song transitions to the chorus of “Eleanor Rigby,” similar to how Joni Mitchell blended pieces from “Unchained Melody” into “Chinese Café.”  “My Mother” is indeed about a lonesome mother, so the “Oh look at all those lonely people” refrain fits thematically.

Starring: Someone Like You may be best enjoyed by the avant-garde music connoisseur, who may especially love lyrics like “everlasting raindrops on his window to open up the dreams he left behind.”  For these types of open-minded and creative individuals, this album is like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  It’s so hard to find, but so worth it.