“A Thousand Sharks Teeth” (Asthmatic Kitty): B+
At its best, multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Shara Worden’s new collection is a Fellini-esque circus soundtrack. The star is her bewitching vocal tremble, which precariously swoops through the songs as if by trapeze. Worden, who used to perform in Sufjan Stevens’ Illinoisemakers band, thrives amid the dense arrangements in which clanging vibraphones and pizzicato strings dance over shuffling electronic beats and funky ska rhythms. The elegiac stillness permeating the disc’s second half deters, but not enough to prevent “A Thousand Sharks Teeth” from being mostly an innovative joy. Download: “Apples.”
(Appearing tonight at Berklee Performance Center.)
