My Brightest Diamond

A Thousand Shark's Teeth is as simply gorgeous as it is intricately arranged. Shara Worden's classically trained vocals flow from cutesy whispers and coy purrs to an uninhibited vibrato powered by elegance and poise. The album runs with a theatrical tone: Sinister strings swell around lyrics taken from a French opera on "Black & Costaud"; "If I Were Queen" sounds like a royal medieval lullaby; and "Apple"'s off-the-cuff quirkiness is fit for a fairytale. The foreboding yet Zen-like fluidity of the album's last half could carry a romantic saga from moments of heartbreak to happiness.