Stina Nordenstam�s voice is a limited instrument. Her fragile vocals don�t display much timbral variation and her singing rarely rises above a whisper. But the distinctive Scandinavian songstress can pack an emotional punch. On The World Is Saved, which Nordenstam wrote, produced and arranged, refined chamber pop compliments vulnerable vocals. Isolation and loss haunt the downright spooky songs, and the album�s meticulous production and arrangements use silence as skillfully as sound. A warm, Horace Silver-like piano part opens the disc, but things soon turn dark and weird as Nordenstam sings, "They put a needle once in my spine/it took them so long to find it/I can�t get this porno film out of my head/Let�s get on with it." One of the last tracks, "The End of a Love Affair," offers a ray of hope: "The good days will come/I just need the time." After being drenched by all the lovely gloom, you not only believe Nordenstam, you need to.