As an artist who began her career studying experimental theatre in New York, went on to sing with Lou Reed, Björk and Yoko Ono, won the Mercury Prize singing piano-led chamber pop with the band now known as Anohni and the Johnsons, and was last seen making icy electronic music about climate change and modern warfare, it’s hardly surprising that Anohni’s latest release is another left turn.
The Johnsons are her backing band again for the first time since the Swanlights album in 2010, but the main collaborator is Scottish guitarist and producer Jimmy Hogarth, best known for his work in the soul pop world with Amy Winehouse, Corinne Bailey Rae and Duffy. The sound is dominated by his casually strummed electric guitar and Anohni’s whipped cream voice, with an improvised feel created by the fact that three or four songs were finished a day, and many of the vocal tracks are first takes.
