Annette Farrington's debut album a winner

In Azure Wonder & Lust, Annette Farrington propels listeners into a ponderous and soul-searching journey toward spiritual and metaphysical truths. Hailing from the critically acclaimed Boston band Opium Den, Farrington explores the importance of music and creative expression as powerful mediums for change in the world.

A current a sophomore at Tufts, Farrington is tentatively majoring in English. However, she wishes to explore through the plan of study program how to incorporate all aspects of expression-including diplomacy-into the artistic medium. Farrington believes artists can be the voice of truth. For her, music functions as "a universal language which may be used to send positive or destructive energy out into the world. It vibrates across time because it comes from the beginning of time _ the first vibration, permeating all things."

The album is the culmination of four years of arduous labor with producer Anthony Resta _ known for his work with Elton John, Duran Duran, Collective Soul, and Shawn Mullens. Resta's musical intervention fully exploits the ethereal qualities of Farrington's vocal ability. He introduces complex soundscapes and accentuates the otherworldly quality of Farrington's voice by layering each track with evocative blends of electronic elements. And thus, Azure Wonder & Lust showcases the artist's vocal intensity within a plethora of compelling arrangements.

In the album's last and strongest track, "Symphonic," Annette Farrington externalizes her theory of musical inspiration: "So tell me where symphonic ends/Climbing through the stratosphere."

Throughout the album, her lyrics describe every physical detail _ from gift boxes full of jelly beans to trees and ocean _ a capacity to serve as catalysts to express an underlying theory of the world. Farrington believes on the existence of an attainable space between breath and silence. Artists must thrive to comprehend it. Hence, the album gathers fragments of inspiration and drapes them within physical and esoteric elements.

In "Symphonic," Farrington also observes the perpetual existence of musical inspiration: "Symphonic/There is no end there is no end/ the coda never comes."

Most of the songs in Azure Wonder & Lust are musically compelling. When confronted with Farrington's introspective lyrics, the listener is drawn further into her world. And yet despite the artifice of Resta's production, Farrington is able to transcend abstraction with her honesty. With her lyrics, Farrington invites the listener to participate

The album also explores the themes of desire and loss. Extending her father's transcendentalist and idealist beliefs, Farrington connotes the importance of connecting with nature. In Dive, featured in last year's Jumbo Audio Project compilation, she confirms the valued relationship between the love of nature and the love of one another. Such conclusion seems to emerge from the continual metamorphosis of nature: "I feel the ground shaking/Hear a hear a hear a symphony."

Azure Lust & Wonder not only offers the listener an intelligent and thought-provoking musical experience. Annette Farrington's vocal ability takes lyrical compositions to another level, as if her singing voice elevates and develops the power of each word. As Farrington explains, in this hectic world, Azure Wonder & Lust provides the listener some time to reflect on the spontaneous passion of words, music, and meaning.

Annette Farrington will be performing at the Brookline Starbucks on Nov. 21st and at The Middle East in Cambridge on January 9th. Her album may be purchased from her website _ www.annettefarrington.com. It is also available in Newbury Comics and at cdbaby.com.