There’s a track nestled in the middle of ‘Anxiety’ (the
second album from New York’s Arthur Ashin, a.k.a Autre Ne Veut) entitled Ego Free Sex Free. It’s a track that pretty much sums up the
album in terms of its free-spirited style and content.
What’s most notable about ‘Anxiety’ is Ashin’s vocal. High-pitched and more than a little
Prince-esque, it’s an unrestrained delivery that wavers between subtle cooing
and free wailing. It’s as sexy as it is an
emotive force, less concerned with melodic integrity than with simply evoking
feeling.
The musical content is equally unrestrained by presenting a warped version of
electro R&B, a vision that’s weird and beguiling. Take opening track and lead single Play By Play. Rather than following typical verse-chorus
structure, the song is more episodic in nature, shifting gears with alarming
frequency – from its gloriously shimmering opening, to its jerky funk middle
section and gospel sing-along ending. ‘Anxiety’,
in fact, is the perfect epithet for the album as it jitters and fluctuates with
schizophrenic consistency. Beats smash
and dissolve; brass squeak and honk; guitars roar and caress; synths and
samples soothe and shatter. It’s a
concoction that shouldn’t work - but it does, incredibly so. The result is an album that’s complex and
layered, the sort of album where each time you listen you discover a new sound
hidden in its musical depths.
But why does it work?
For starters, each wrenching jolt is paired with short catchy hooks that
ensures a certain accessibility. With
Ashin’s past history as a writer of jingles, this aptitude for melody is the
album’s constant. And despite the
episodic structure of these songs, they never outstay their welcome. In fact, a handful are less than three
minutes long, ending all too abruptly.
Most of all, there’s a warm glossy sheen over the whole
album stemming from Ashin’s emotive vocal.
For all the album’s nervousness, ‘Anxiety’ is open with its free-spirit
and proud to be different.
4/5
* Play By Play
* Counting
* Ego Free Sex Free
Listen: 'Anxiety' is available now.
