Snowbird, the debut album of Piana is one of my favorite albums of 2004. Thanks for directing me to her music.

In the mid '80s Canadian musician Jane Siberry put out a couple of cds -- "The Walking" and "Speckless Sky" -- which marvelously combined a literate yet child-like sense of wonder with what was then frontline technology. These albums had a cinematic density to them that rewarded multiple listens. But, perhaps most important for this listener Siberry, with her disarmingly self-deprecating vocal gymnastics managed to express a sense of joy and wonder that was absent in all but the most superficial forms in popular culture of the time.

Well, here comes Piana. While I have only a second-hand comprehension of her lyrics, the music, with it's glitch aesthetic, heads out into very similar territory as Siberry did in the '80s. Yes, she wanders awfully close to j-pop, but let's hope she manages to steer clear of that puddle.