Hopelessness (album)

Hopelessness
Studio album by Anohni
Released May 6, 2016
Genre
Length 41:39
Label Secretly Canadian (US)
Rough Trade (UK)
Producer
Singles from Hopelessness
  1. "4 Degrees"
    Released: November 30, 2015
  2. "Drone Bomb Me"
    Released: March 9, 2016

Hopelessness (stylized as HOPELESSNESS) is the debut solo album from Anohni, the lead singer of Antony and the Johnsons, released on May 6, 2016 on Secretly Canadian and Rough Trade Records.[5] It features co-production by musicians Ross Birchard (aka Hudson Mohawke) and Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never).[5]

Background

On 23 February 2015, Anohni announced Hopelessness via the Antony and the Johnsons' website and Facebook account. Co-produced by Anohni with collaborators Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, it is her first album to be released under her new name Anohni. In the announcement, Anohni described the album as "an electronic record with some sharp teeth".[6][7]

In a fan interview, Anohni described the upcoming album as "as different as could be from my previous work", adding she was "not sure that many of [those] who prefer the early chamber music style will enjoy it". Characterising it as a "dance / experimental electronic record with quite a dark thematic undertow", she revealed spring 2016 as the release date.[8]

Promotion

On 30 November 2015, Anohni released "4 Degrees", the first song off of Hopelessness, along with an accompanying message: "In solidarity with the climate conference in Paris, giving myself a good hard look, not my aspirations but my behaviors, revealing my insidious complicity. It's a whole new world. Let’s be brave and tell the truth as much as we can."[9][10] Commenting on the album's lead single in a fan interview earlier in the year, Hegarty had stated that she had "grown tired of grieving for humanity", adding that she felt she "was not being entirely honest by pretending that I am not a part of the problem. '4 Degrees' is kind of a brutal attempt to hold myself accountable, not just valorize my intentions but also reflect on the true impact of my behaviors."[8]

On 9 March 2016, Anohni announced the release of the album's second single "Drone Bomb Me" via Facebook.[11] The song, which premiered on Annie Mac's show on BBC Radio 1 later that day, was accompanied by a music video which she described as "insanely beautiful".[12] As revealed shortly after the announcement on Anohni's Instagram account, the video was directed by Nabil Elderkin and stars English supermodel Naomi Campbell.[13] On the same day, Anohni also revealed that Hopelessness will be released on 6 May 2016, along with the album's tracklisting.[14][15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Consequence of Sound(A–)[18]
DIY Magazine[19]
Exclaim!(9/10)[20]
The Guardian[21]
Mojo[16]
Pitchfork(9.0/10)[3]
Spin(9/10)[1]
Tiny Mix Tapes[22]
Uncut[16]

Hopelessness received acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 88, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[16]

Tim Jonze of The Guardian called Hopelessness "as profound a protest record as anyone has made in decades, brimming with anger, and yet, somehow, oddly accessible," concluding that, "For all its bleakness, Hopelessness leaves you feeling anything but."[21] Writing for Exclaim!, Andrea Warner characterized Hopelessness as "a shimmering, shadowy electronic pop protest record that thunders and sparks, avenges and retreats, attacks and empowers," noting Anohni's "ownership and authority over her artistic voice that we've not yet seen before."[20] T. Cole Rachel of Spin called the album "a potent political statement," and described the music as "gorgeous, matching the intensity of the subject matter without overwhelming it and giving the appropriate space to ANOHNI’s voice, which remains a glorious instrument."[1] Jenn Pelly of Pitchfork Media praised the album, stating, "Anohni, HudMo, and OPN meet on an astral plane and construct a sleek salon there, where we can reflect on the current moment and perhaps be spurred to action," calling the album "some of the most accessible and pristinely infectious music that any of these people have made.[3]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Drone Bomb Me"  
 4:10
2. "4 Degrees"  
 3:51
3. "Watch Me"  
  • Anohni
  • Birchard
 3:26
4. "Execution"  
  • Anohni
  • Birchard
 3:38
5. "I Don't Love You Anymore"  
  • Anohni
  • Lopatin
 5:00
6. "Obama"  
  • Anohni
  • Lopatin
 4:11
7. "Violent Men"  
  • Anohni
  • Lopatin
 2:10
8. "Why Did You Separate Me from the Earth?"  
  • Anohni
  • Birchard
 3:36
9. "Crisis"  
  • Anohni
  • Lopatin
  • Birchard
 4:42
10. "Hopelessness"  
  • Anohni
  • Lopatin
 3:54
11. "Marrow"  
  • Anohni
  • Birchard
 3:01
Total length:
 41:39

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rachel, T. Cole. "Review: ANOHNI, 'Hopelessness'". Spin. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Monger, James Christopher. "Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Pelly, Jenn (2016-05-05). "ANOHNI: HOPELESSNESS". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  4. ↑ Patridge, Kenneth (6 May 2016). "Anohni makes pop music for a world about to burst". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Antony Announces New Album HOPELESSNESS, Co-Produced with Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke". Pitchfork Media. 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
  6. ↑ "Antony and the Johnsons news". Antonyandthejohnsons.com. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
  7. ↑ "Hopelessness album announcement I". Facebook. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 Gordon, Jeremy (21 October 2015). "ANOHNI (F.K.A. Antony) on New LP HOPELESSNESS: "As Different as Could Be From My Previous Work"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Camp, Zoe (30 November 2015). "ANOHNI (F.K.A. Antony) Shares New Song "4 Degrees"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "4 Degrees single announcement". Facebook. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "Drone Bomb Me single announcement I". Facebook. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "Drone Bomb Me single announcement II". Facebook. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  13. ↑ ""Drone Bomb Me" video announcement". Instagram. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Hopelessness release date". Instagram. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Hopelessness album announcement II". Facebook. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Hopelessness – Anohni". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  17. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Hopelessness - Anohni". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  18. ↑ Kivel, Adam. "Anohni - Hopelessness Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Milton, Jamie. "ANOHNI - Hopelessness". DIY Magazine. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  20. 1 2 Warner, Andrea. "ANOHNI HOPELESSNESS". Exclaim!. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  21. 1 2 Jonze, Tim. "Anohni: Hopelessness review – the most profound protest record in decades". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  22. ↑ ANTICHRISTIAN. "ANOHNI - HOPELESSNESS". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 6 May 2016. Text " Music Review" ignored (help)
  23. ↑ http://anohni.bandcamp.com/album/hopelessness
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