Shimmering and glimmering they come, a cascade of synth and guitar heavy magic that -on one hand dazzles you with its depth- and on the other makes you swoon over its simplicity. Having already enjoyed slots on Radio 1 and the XFM play-list, the Kingston (UK) based quartet Anison have set themselves apart from the bands they list as influences ( including Radiohead and Blur ) through true originality. It’s musicians making the stuff according to how they feel it should be, rather than how they are used to hearing it. Their music is a rush of melancholy that engrossed through its many layers, ignited by a set of delicate intros that came as a calm before the proverbial storm.Memory Flashes is the new Anison offering, produced by Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode, The Cure and Paul McCartney) it is a cascade of vocal, synth and guitar-heavy magic, on one hand dazzling with its depth and on the other instantly accessible in its simplicity.
Completed in the autumn of 2011 Memory Flashes draws repeatedly on the theme of time for it’s lyrical content. Reflective and considerate, Anison’s music is a rush of melancholy that engrosses through its many layers, ignited by the delicate intro that comes as a calm before the proverbial emotional and sonic storm.
Here’s what we thought of the tracks ‘Fluidity’ and ‘Sail Back to Sleep’ :
‘Fluidity’ - This track has chug-chug beats and coils of whimpering notes that wrap around the high vocals like a basket cobra. First, abrasive notes screech and rumble-tumble, then harmonies evoke a feeling of warmth and joy. The slightly discordant guitars fizz and bubble - creating a sense of growing unease. Drawn out and tortuously groaning pulses adorn the extraordinary vocal acrobatics whilst racking percussion trips and cobbles along. The fuzzy profusion of sounds completes this fallen angel symphony. Stunning.
‘Sail Back to Sleep’ is set to be the single from the Anison album. Imagine meeting Depeche Mode outside a nightmarish nightclub in a war torn city ... to get something like the idea of what is going on here. Darkly enunciated vocals are set against chaffs of chords, stitched together with some powerful harmonic imagery. Soaring, seething guitars rake and rail against the darkling sky. Native drums echo in the background and then the horizons are lit up by blazes of screaming and dizzying high notes. Awesome stuff!
-- © Neil Mach. March 2012 --
Link:
http://www.anison.co.uk
