A forceful protest
Anohni “Execution” (Secretly Canadian)
The transgender artist formerly known as Antony Hegarty recently changed her name to Anohni, and her first studio album away from longtime band the Johnsons is a far cry from that style of subdued cabaret blues. Rather, “Hopelessness” is a hardened, beat-based protest record featuring future-heavy rhythms by New York producer Oneohtrix Point Never and Scottish beatmaker Hudson Mohawke.
Throughout the 11-track album Anohni doesn’t mince words. Whether decrying drone warfare, inaction in the face of global warming, her disillusionment with President Obama or state-sponsored murder, the artist sings with a distinctively smokey tone about themes that have come to define the times.
Standout track “Execution,” below, features a sinuous Mohawke-crafted rhythm track that pops at full volume, a dance song that draws you in with the promise of exuberant release, except the singer is singing from the perspective of someone strapped to an electric chair or awaiting lethal injection. Unflinching honesty rarely feels this life-affirming.
Beth Orton “1973” (Anti-Records)
The British-born singer and songwriter Beth Orton came up in the early 1990s rave scene and earned early attention through work with William Orbit and Red Snapper. She hit the mainstream when the Chemical Bros.’ “Exit Planet Dust” broke out and her vocals on “One Too Many Mornings” became something of an anthem.
That was a long time ago, and Orton’s consistently inspired solo albums since then showcase an artist focused on British and American folk and contemporary beat music. Pick an album from across her oeuvre and you’ll likely find at least one new favorite song. That’s true of her new “Kidsticks” as well, which is rich with beats as persuasive and celebratory as those that brought her acclaim a few decades back.
Orton knows how to write a memorable pop melody to boot, as confirmed by “1973,” a synth-heavy ditty and one of the lighter tracks on the album. Others have heavier rhythms — especially stellar opening track “Snow” — or slower-tempos (the trippy ballad “Corduroy Legs”). Taken together as “Kidsticks,” Orton has never sounded better.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith “Existence in the Unfurling” (Western Vinyl)
Los Angeles-based musician Smith’s primary instrument these days is rather unwieldy: a set of vintage analog synthesizers as heavy as they are impractical. But their sounds are dense and imposing, and the contrast with her voice on her new album, “Ears,” suggests what they lack in ease of use they make up for in malleability.
“Ears” is hardly a pop album. Instead, Smith comes from a line of musical synthesists as eager to push at the fringes of structure as they are devoted to those humming tones. New Age? Some of “Ears” resembles the drifting wave-forms of Suzanne Ciani and Tangerine Dream, but only because of the instrumentation.
“Existence in the Unfurling” closes the album, and at over 10 minutes it’s the longest piece here. It’s also pretty epic, especially the way in which Smith layers and loops volumes of android tones until something substantial and new rises from the chaos.