Anne
Power Exchange
Portland, Oregon's ANNE follow up their acclaimed 2011 compilation LP Dream Punx (A389 Records) with this brand new two-song 7". Combining ethereal reverb and showgazey ambience with a basement dwelling NEW ORDER-esque rhythm section, ANNE deliver these two tracks with a more structured approach than ever before. The resulting songs carry a dreamy, haunting ambience underlying unforgettable pop hooks. Near perfect in tone, chimey, shimmering guitars echo and decay alongside humming post-punk drumbeats and thumping, dancey basslines. The shape-shifting synthesizers weave varying textures from fuzzed-out drones to warm harmony lines. Perhaps most impressive however is the delicate desperation in the vocal delivery. Sitting high up in the mix, frontman David Lindell delivers barbs like, "We made a suicide pact that you couldn't go through with," with a style and swagger not usually espoused in the genre's traditional vocal stylings. These two new songs are a marked progression, as ANNE will soon be remembered alongside the greats they're being compared to.