The Tiny - Starring; Someone Like You (Cover Artwork)
Staff Review

The Tiny

Starring; Someone Like You (2007)

Eyeball


The problem with Scandinavians is that they don't understand English very well. First of all, "tiny" is an adjective. Its purpose is to describe a noun. The tiny what? The Tiny Band? What we're dealing with is a sentence fragment. Second, the title of this album contains an improper use of a semicolon. I don't know why it's so difficult for these Swedes; English is a Germanic language, just like Swedish.

Anyway, the promo sticker tells me that I'll love this if I like Regina Spektor and Kate Bush. I haven't heard a Regina Spektor song since the college radio station out here decided that they were too hip to play her, and I haven't head a Kate Bush song since I worked in that record store where collectors and nerds kept trying to tell me how awesome she was (I refuted their claims pointing out the album cover where she's dressed in a catsuit -- catsuits do not equal awesome). Regardless, I'm not a big fan of "If you like..." stickers.

The Tiny play a sort of Scandinavian orchestral pop that shouldn't be too unfamiliar. Imagine Bjork without the interesting chord progressions and arrangements and thought-provoking lyrics and vocal power. In fact, don't imagine Bjork at all. Let's see, how to describe this...

The Tiny sound exactly like every single boring wannabe minimalistic ambient orchestral band you heard last year while you waited in line at Starbucks while your less "punk" friend wanted to buy a Frappucino.

It's not bad, it's not great, it's just sort of there -- waiting to bore you.