Anohni
Hopelessness
Despite being one of the world's best singers, somehow Anohni (formerly Antony Hegarty, of Antony and the Johnsons) has never had a solo album. It seems impossible: certainly with the sheer amount of output, in combination with the almost-sickening beauty of her voice, there must have been solo work in there somewhere.
While this "debut" of sorts may have been a long time coming, it more than makes up for it with ingenious songwriting and brilliant execution. On top of Anohni's gorgeous singing is her brilliant choice of producers and co-writers: Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never. The three combine to make beautiful, electronic noise, propping up a message about the decline and fall of Western Civilization that's surprisingly uplifting.
And that is the main takeaway from Hoplessness; it's not hopeless. If anything, the album posits that while the world crumbles, that is when humanity is at its best. Sure, there are bad people who do bad things, but this life is also full of light. As Explosions in the Sky once said, "the Earth is not a cold, dead place," and Anohni continues that sentiment: in a world full of hopelessness, we should be anything but.
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