Alyson Greenfield, the MFA-toting, Brooklyn-based creator of the music festival Tinderbox, seems to be at a musical crossroads. Her first full-length LP, Tuscaloosa, showcased a mix of Tori Amos and Alanis influenced  instrumentation and songwriting that, at its most interesting, featured Bjork-tinted electronica and hints – hints - of Radiohead. Lately, she’s delved deeper into the more electronic realms of her palette, and overall it represents an appealing evolution of her styles. At its best, her newest music has been fusing the best of her past acoustic writing with the larger visceral potential afforded by quality electronic production.

Her latest offering, a solid but too-short EP, Only Silence, finally showcases this musical evolution and new choice of timbres. Much in the same way that Sufjan Stevens, in The Age of Adz, finally found a balance between his past acoustic styles and electronic experimentations, Greenfield seems to be slowly but surely establishing an appealing identity with this new, more modern set of tones. Indeed, Only Silence‘s most effective songs are the ones that incorporate this new production the most: the opening track, “Cult Spell,” catches your attention partially because she’s finally willing to allow her rhythm section to come to the forefront and be a true partner to her piano playing and singing. And it’s refreshing to see that her past “pure” acoustic songwriting chops are still intact, as she demonstrates effectively in “I Love Only Silence.” “Glitz and Glamour” was a miss for me, other than the lyrics, but for the most part the rest of the album is solid. She’s a quality producer in her own right, too, and it shows. You’d never guess she recorded and mixed it herself in a studio in her Brooklyn apartment.

Only Silence is making me feel good about where Greenfield is going. I’m told she’s going to release a full-length album featuring these new styles more heavily. For my part I think it’s a great decision. I wait, as you should, with baited breath.