City Slang (label)
20 February 2023 (released)
20 February 2023
As the creatively-spent morally-bankrupt mass-media blandscape churns out endless trite pop-tat with tiresome costume-changing by an eternal crapwalk of compromised souls in empty choreographed shells, it’s refreshing to hear the all-too-human sounds of honesty, sincerity and hopefulness. A welcome bite of reality amidst filtered folly and treated theatricality.
‘in|FLUX, the title of Anna B. Savage’s follow-up to debut album, 2021’s ‘A Common Turn’ is axiomatic in many - if not all - ways. However, as opposed to being in transit, betwixt on the way to becoming and overcoming, this is the sound of someone who has been there, seen it, made it, peering backwards surveying the debris and seeing nothing more than the trail to a peaceful present. It’s an arduous way to travel, but, the rewards are plenty.
Uprooting from London to Dublin and also recently guesting on tracks on new albums from acid reigners Orbital and Scottish poetician Hamish Hawk has arguably effected atom-shifting affects, enacting cellular changes that invariably inform the ten confession-all tracks.
Taking in the travails of creative paralysis and the instinctive escape routes to remedy, assessing what may have been lost is outnumbered by the gained, Savage has cast aside the suffocating strait-jacket (metaphysically) and embraced the inspirations of isolation (matter of factly)
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Savage never so much sings, scales or soars in the performative pantomimic manner so depressingly prevalent nowadays, instead her murmered, measured, hushed, unrushed expressionism emits husky hollers hit from the heart, exuded missives and vignettes snagged from the depth of feeling and dragged from the breadth of healing.
‘Say my name’ is warped snazz-jazz direct from the smoky caverns of the self. An acoustic guitar in the vein of Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ acts as the structure of Savage’s own cracked reacting. ‘Pavlov’s Dog’ continues the theme of pre-coordinated (yet unconscious) responses, a sexual frisson simmers, animalist desires designed to draw out the intentions of an-other. There’s only one way to find out.
The title track ‘in|FLUX’ is Garbo does disco, a reserved and slow opening erupts into an arms in the air cry of release/relief where the repetitive utterance of ‘I want to be alone, I’m happy on my own … BELIEVE me’ batters down any doubt whatsoever about the emotional toughness on show. Being alone doesn’t necessary mean being a loner.
This is art for heart’s sake, a purifying pièce de résistance. This is a heart for art’s ache, a glorifying peace de la persistence.
