ANOHNI's "HOPELESSNESS"
ANOHNI's "HOPELESSNESS"
We have topics for the other two major albums released this past weekend, and I think this one definitely deserves attention. The electronic switch really works with her voice, and her lyrics are angrier than ever. Definitely worth checking out.
Last edited by BleuPanda on Tue May 10, 2016 12:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Anohni's "Hopelessness"
One of two absolute knock-out albums from this year (the other being "Blackstar").
Here's what I wrote about it in the "Albums of 2016" thread...
"If "Blackstar" was the first EXCELLENT album of 2016, then "Hopelessness" might just be the second. The instrumentals here, courtesy of Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, are as hard and sparkling as a geode, with instrumentals that buzz and bite and snap and stomp and sound like sonic attacks, but still glisten in the sun and shimmer and burst with light. Nowhere is this more present than on the stunning one-two punch of "Drone Bomb Me" and "4 Degrees", songs that have their power only increased by the addition of Anohni's (formerly Antony Hegarty) astoundingly unique voice. "Hopelessness" is a concept album of sorts, tackling all of the problems Anohni deems most pertinent to 2016, ruminations on global warming, drone bombing, the failures of President Obama, and more pervade the album. While the album draws a great deal of power from these lyrics, it's also here where the album falters a little. On more than a couple occasions, the lyrics are a bit too on the nose for their own good, making me worried that the laser guided precision of these lyrics might seem a little outdated in years to come, the way a song about Iran-Contra would seem outdated today. But, on the other hand, if there are any topics that deserve a lack of subtlety, it's the one's that Anohni sings about here. I just wish that she was able to strike a balance here. Other than that? The album is a winner."
Here's what I wrote about it in the "Albums of 2016" thread...
"If "Blackstar" was the first EXCELLENT album of 2016, then "Hopelessness" might just be the second. The instrumentals here, courtesy of Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, are as hard and sparkling as a geode, with instrumentals that buzz and bite and snap and stomp and sound like sonic attacks, but still glisten in the sun and shimmer and burst with light. Nowhere is this more present than on the stunning one-two punch of "Drone Bomb Me" and "4 Degrees", songs that have their power only increased by the addition of Anohni's (formerly Antony Hegarty) astoundingly unique voice. "Hopelessness" is a concept album of sorts, tackling all of the problems Anohni deems most pertinent to 2016, ruminations on global warming, drone bombing, the failures of President Obama, and more pervade the album. While the album draws a great deal of power from these lyrics, it's also here where the album falters a little. On more than a couple occasions, the lyrics are a bit too on the nose for their own good, making me worried that the laser guided precision of these lyrics might seem a little outdated in years to come, the way a song about Iran-Contra would seem outdated today. But, on the other hand, if there are any topics that deserve a lack of subtlety, it's the one's that Anohni sings about here. I just wish that she was able to strike a balance here. Other than that? The album is a winner."
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Re: Anohni's "Hopelessness"
I give this album 5/5 YASS QUEEN's.
(I do want to write something serious about this album once I have digested it more, it's excellent start to finish)
(I do want to write something serious about this album once I have digested it more, it's excellent start to finish)
Re: Anohni's "Hopelessness"
The complete failure for my nomination for 4 Degrees on the "AMF charts" surprized me a lot ! So, I'm completely happy to see he got the real admiration this artist deserve. Probably one of my album of the year.
P.S. : he did, some years ago, maybe the beautiful concert I have ever been.
P.S. : he did, some years ago, maybe the beautiful concert I have ever been.
Re: Anohni's "Hopelessness"
No longer "he." Apparently she's transitioned within the last year, since she was still being credited as Antony on Bjork's Vulnicura.Romain wrote:The complete failure for my nomination for 4 Degrees on the "AMF charts" surprized me a lot ! So, I'm completely happy to see he got the real admiration this artist deserve. Probably one of my album of the year.
P.S. : he did, some years ago, maybe the beautiful concert I have ever been.
Re: Anohni's "Hopelessness"
It appears she has always used feminine pronouns in private (or at least as long as she has been out), but never drawn attention to it in the press. As she recently said herself:
"In my personal life I prefer ‘she’. I think words are important. To call a person by their chosen gender is to honor their spirit, their life and contribution. ‘He’ is an invisible pronoun for me, it negates me."
It's true she's only recently changed her name (at least publicly), but she's already 'transitioned.' A transgender person doesn't need to actually physically have surgery to use the correct pronouns. That should happen as soon as they come out, and it's actually kind of shocking how long the press used the wrong ones (though her performing under her old name all this time adds to the confusion).
"In my personal life I prefer ‘she’. I think words are important. To call a person by their chosen gender is to honor their spirit, their life and contribution. ‘He’ is an invisible pronoun for me, it negates me."
It's true she's only recently changed her name (at least publicly), but she's already 'transitioned.' A transgender person doesn't need to actually physically have surgery to use the correct pronouns. That should happen as soon as they come out, and it's actually kind of shocking how long the press used the wrong ones (though her performing under her old name all this time adds to the confusion).
Re: Anohni's "Hopelessness"
Now I'm sure Romain knows his mistake and hopefully others won't make this mistake. Bleu, everything should be capitalized in the thread title though.
You're right, Romain. I'm saddened by the fact that 4 Degrees didn't get the praise it deserved from this forum, but then again, so didn't FKA Twigs' Two Weeks. It's actually my favorite song off the HOPELESSNESS. It took me five weeks for me to fully appreciate her Drone Bomb Me which is doing extremely well on AMF charts. ANOHNI really delivered with this album which I will be listening to multiple times. I even like that Obama song which surprised me a lot in its depth.
You're right, Romain. I'm saddened by the fact that 4 Degrees didn't get the praise it deserved from this forum, but then again, so didn't FKA Twigs' Two Weeks. It's actually my favorite song off the HOPELESSNESS. It took me five weeks for me to fully appreciate her Drone Bomb Me which is doing extremely well on AMF charts. ANOHNI really delivered with this album which I will be listening to multiple times. I even like that Obama song which surprised me a lot in its depth.
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Re: ANOHNI's "HOPELESSNESS"
Was really looking forward to this album, but unfortunately, aside from the pre-release singles, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. Though the lyrics aren't objectively bad, many of them elicited a cringe-y response from me for being so blunt, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as this worked to great effect on "Drone Bomb Me" and "4 Degrees." Nonetheless, I'm pleased to see such an ambitious album be received well here.
Also, anyone else think that "Watch Me" is an unorthodox but surprisingly strong contender for "sexiest song of the year"?
Also, anyone else think that "Watch Me" is an unorthodox but surprisingly strong contender for "sexiest song of the year"?
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Re: ANOHNI's "HOPELESSNESS"
First listen was pleasant and it was surprisingly consistent. Of course not every track is on par with 4 Degrees and Drone Bomb Me, but there were some songs that stood out immediately and I didn't spot a bad song either. Great production and interesting combination with her recognisable voice.
Re: ANOHNI's "HOPELESSNESS"
About Anohni being referred to as "she" while Antony Hegarty was referred to as "he": I can easily understand how people can get a little confused. Anohni came out as transgender a long time ago, when she was still known as Antony (many of Antony & The Johnsons' songs had transgender themes, as most people on this forum would know). But Anohni has only fairly recently changed her name from Antony, and people who haven't been reading about her in the press or online wouldn't have known about that interview in which she said that she prefers the pronoun "she". Not all transgender people who were assigned male at birth identify as female - for example, there are genderfluid or bigender people who prefer "they", or alternate between "he" and "she". Until recently, we only knew that Anohni (or formerly Antony) was transgender, so it was unclear which pronoun to use. Many transgender people say that if you're not sure about what a person's preferred pronoun is, then it's best to refer to that person as "they". So yes, maybe the press should've referred to Antony Hegarty as "they", but it was confusing because of Antony being a male name. What adds to the confusion is that Anohni doesn't look more feminine than Antony did, which makes it difficult for some people to make the switch from "he" to "she". But someone's gender appearance does not necessarily reflect the gender identity that has formed inside that person's brain, and we now know that Anohni has felt more female than male for a long time - she just hasn't made that public until recently. Transgenderism (if that's even a word) is a fairly new concept for many people, and I think many folks who are not transgender are still trying to understand it. Personally, instead of getting upset when people use incorrect words or terminology for transgender people (and LGBT people in general), I try to remember that some people with perfectly good intentions might not be in the know about the right words to use, but are willing to "learn". I thought it was quite beautiful when Anohni said in that interview that "to call a person by their chosen gender is to honor their spirit, their life and contribution" - and I think it's rather wonderful that we have reached a place where the press, Anohni's fans and many others are now referring to her as "she" out of respect for her.
About the album: it contains very few - if any - lyrics about transgenderism; instead, it contains strong criticisms in relation to political and environmental issues. Among other things, Anohni criticises drone warfare (in the songs "Drone Bomb Me" and "Crisis"), the pervasive surveillance of the USA's National Security Agency ("Watch Me"), the death penalty that still exist in the supposedly civilized USA ("Execution"), the violence of men in patriarchal societies ("Violent Men"), human indifference to climate change, despite knowing how it's harming Earth ("4 Degrees"), and American-led capitalism, which is destroying our planet ("Marrow"). These are all very strongly felt criticisms, and I can see why some listeners might find the lyrics a little too uncompromising. Maybe it's a tad too uncompromising for me too. Although I totally agree with her view that the human race should shift from masculine/patriarchal social structures to more feminine and compassionate structures, some of her criticisms feel a little harsh to me - but that's because I'm increasingly becoming a (boring) political moderate as I'm getting older, which causes me to be more open to two sides of a story, and to (sometimes naïvely) look for the good in people. (The song "Obama" in particular sat uncomfortably with me - I can understand why Anohni is disappointed that drone warfare and pervasive surveillance are happening while Barack Obama is president of the USA, but he has also achieved positive change while being president... not least in the realm of transgender rights.) Nevertheless, I admire her gutsy defiance. Not many musicians or songwriters would even attempt such bold statements about political and environmental issues, never mind delivering them so convincingly.
And what about the new electronic sound? I'm a big fan of Antony & The Johnsons' chamber pop, and it took me a little while to get used to Anohni's electronic sound. I do understand, though, that she needed to try a new direction musically. But having listened to this album a few times now, I have to admit that with each listen I did wish there were a couple of chamber pop songs on the album. I missed the warmth and grace of those chamber pop songs. The electronic soundscapes can get a little too sharp and cold at times and distract from the message of a song rather than enhance it. But when the electronic approach works (which is most of the time) it's very poignant music.
About the album: it contains very few - if any - lyrics about transgenderism; instead, it contains strong criticisms in relation to political and environmental issues. Among other things, Anohni criticises drone warfare (in the songs "Drone Bomb Me" and "Crisis"), the pervasive surveillance of the USA's National Security Agency ("Watch Me"), the death penalty that still exist in the supposedly civilized USA ("Execution"), the violence of men in patriarchal societies ("Violent Men"), human indifference to climate change, despite knowing how it's harming Earth ("4 Degrees"), and American-led capitalism, which is destroying our planet ("Marrow"). These are all very strongly felt criticisms, and I can see why some listeners might find the lyrics a little too uncompromising. Maybe it's a tad too uncompromising for me too. Although I totally agree with her view that the human race should shift from masculine/patriarchal social structures to more feminine and compassionate structures, some of her criticisms feel a little harsh to me - but that's because I'm increasingly becoming a (boring) political moderate as I'm getting older, which causes me to be more open to two sides of a story, and to (sometimes naïvely) look for the good in people. (The song "Obama" in particular sat uncomfortably with me - I can understand why Anohni is disappointed that drone warfare and pervasive surveillance are happening while Barack Obama is president of the USA, but he has also achieved positive change while being president... not least in the realm of transgender rights.) Nevertheless, I admire her gutsy defiance. Not many musicians or songwriters would even attempt such bold statements about political and environmental issues, never mind delivering them so convincingly.
And what about the new electronic sound? I'm a big fan of Antony & The Johnsons' chamber pop, and it took me a little while to get used to Anohni's electronic sound. I do understand, though, that she needed to try a new direction musically. But having listened to this album a few times now, I have to admit that with each listen I did wish there were a couple of chamber pop songs on the album. I missed the warmth and grace of those chamber pop songs. The electronic soundscapes can get a little too sharp and cold at times and distract from the message of a song rather than enhance it. But when the electronic approach works (which is most of the time) it's very poignant music.
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Re: ANOHNI's "HOPELESSNESS"
Very good post, Dan.
And I really like this álbum. One of my favorites this year.
And I really like this álbum. One of my favorites this year.