Emily Frembgen

Since drifting into Denver from parts east a couple years back, Emily Frembgen has been busy making a humble yet profound mark in town. Besides being a member of the lush indie-rock project the Language of Termites, the singer-songwriter crafts solo material that's twice as ethereal at half the volume; her latest disc, Always With You, starts with an acoustic version of Hall & Oates's "Every Time You Go Away" that's so sparse it's got holes big enough to drive a heartbreak through. Rather than stick to a dour tone, though, Frembgen livens the disc with a broad emotional vista and a sense of storytelling as sturdy as her melodies. Instead of shrinking, the songs soar, with occasional flashes of lightning and midnight made bold by a purity of voice, a clarity of composition and a confidence that knows just how loud quiet can truly be.