4AD recording artist with a dreamy, quirky, very original sound so fresh that it puts the typical indie folk offering to shame.

While it’s true that the notion of “difficult to categorize” is often thrown about when it ought not be, it’s a fair label to place on violist Anni Rossi, should labels be necessary. Before exploring her own pop sensibilities, Rossi, a native of the upper Midwest, found herself in California – going to school and conducting a youth orchestra at a Christian school in the day, playing with insane acts at LA’s S.M.E.L.L with the likes of Abe Vigoda and Foot Village at night.

Such juxtapositions reared the incategorizable, eclectic beast that is Anni Rossi. Discovering her love of viola over more traditional stringed instruments found in rock, she took her disparate influences and applied them to a delightfully skewed, quirky form of instantly hummable anthems. Anni’s unusual approach to the craft, with her dynamic viola arrangements and freewheeling vocals, makes the traditional singer-songwriter paradigm look completely vanilla. Too accessible for freak folk, too off-kilter for traditional folk, Rossi’s engaging live show has put her opening for a roster of artists that represent her myriad of references points: Camera Obscura, Four Tet, The Ting Tings, Mason Jennings, Michachu and the Shapes, Electrelane, Headlights, and many more.

Rossi released Afton and Rockwell within a short time of each other to critical lauding and a welcoming spot at 2009’s Monolith Fest. Her latest, Heavy Meadow, adds a bit more experimentation to the mix and is aimed to drop in the spring of 2010. Rossi was also handpicked by Matt Groening to play this year’s All Tomorrows Parties next fall.

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