Review Summary: ANOHNI confronts modern humanities’ destructive nature on her newest release “Hopelessness” with brutally honest lyrics framed over some of the most accessible pop beats of 2016 (produced by Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never).
Political albums are aplenty in the music industry to the point of being a tiring cliché. ANOHNI takes the concept of a political album to a whole new level when she paints disturbing pictures of the modern world on bubbly canvas’. The effects are immediate, whether you scope into the lyrics or not, as “Hopelessness” has the best production for pop music in 2016. Lush and vibrant electronic orchestrations are used to display a series of harsh realities most of us purposefully turn away from. The paradox of this album highlights man’s common ignorance to the impending doom surrounding us every day because, as they say, “ignorance is bliss.”
The first half of the album is incredible strong kicking off with “Drone Bomb Me,” a heart-wrenching tale of a child who is begging to be drone bombed atop a mountain in the aftermath of her own parent’s falling to that same dark fate. “I want to be the apples of your eye/ I think I want to die” she sorrowfully sings over an intensely beautiful electronic beat blending all sorts of wind and string instruments over colorful arrangements of different electronic percussion. Never for a second will you doubt the quality of beats presented throughout the 40-minute run-time. At the close of “Drone Bomb Me” it’s hard to believe she could follow with anything to top it, but “4 Degrees” does a great job at disputing those thoughts. She takes on the enormous task of holding up a mirror to the world on “4 Degrees” by using the issue of global warming to warn us of the outcome of our destructive habits. The title is referencing the amount of increase in temperature that would drastically effect the entire world. The trumpets and tubas throughout the song could suggest angel’s ushering in the apocalypse as ANOHNI sings “All those lemurs and tiny creature, I want to see them burn.” It’s an incredibly depressing piece that, unbelievably, you could dance to, if so inclined.
Admittedly, the first two tracks end up being the peak of the album, which never reaches those heights again, but there are no low points until the second half. “Watch Me” follows, a song which uses the idea of “Big Brother” from the novel “1984” but ANOHNI call’s the NSA “Daddy” and constantly flirts with the idea of being watched 24/7. The synths encompass the listener as she sings “I know you love me, because you’re always watching me.” As the song progresses, she highlights the unsettling nature of this type of protection in lines such as: “Watch me watching pornography.” I think we get it, ANOHNI. “Execution” continues the political rant with a direct shot at the death penalty in the USA and other places across the globe over a galloping electronic beat. The one track that doesn’t seem to fit the albums concept is “I Don’t Love You Anymore” which is exactly what it sounds like, a song about someone who she doesn’t love anymore and the pain it entails. It ends up being the longest, and best example of how powerful her vocals are, using deep bass and church organ to back it.
The second half is noticeably lacking in comparison to the first. There are a few obvious low points here such as “Obama,” a generally annoying track criticizing out President using the same repetitive vocal pattern, and “Hopelessness,” which has such a sudden drop in energy, it’s hard to get into. But, in reference to my score, you could guess it’s not all bad. “Crisis”, “Why Did You Separate Me From the Earth”, and “Marrow” all carry the second half enough to make the whole album still feel great in the end.
Even if you don’t agree or enjoy the blunt political lyrics, you can at least respect the craftsmanship of the producers. Its improbable that someone who’s a fan of pop music wouldn’t find delight listening to these robust beats. In the last song “Marrow” ANOHNI addresses the world when she declares, “We’re all Americans now.” You don’t have to agree with her message, but reflecting on our current world situation I think it’s safe to say we are doing some damage. Until we can get it together though, lets learn to love each other and enjoy the great music that 2016 has to offer, “Hopelessness” included.
