LAURIE ANDERSON

Amelia is quite a strange record when compared to much of the other works that Laurie has made before, taking away most of the staples that Laurie has shown within her past records and in exchange for a style more situated within a radio drama, or an audiobook. You are not gonna get the same styles of art pop that you'd find on Homeland, or perhaps even Life On A String. Instead you'll find droning, classical music with Laurie recounting the life of Amelia Earhart, a name that I think everyone and their mothers have heard of in detail in schools or history reports. This difference from her other albums does make it automatically a bit of a black sheep, but man is it an amazing black sheep, possibly the best there is!

The best thing about this album is of course the classical elements. Modern classical music is quite different from the stuff that the old figures like Vivaldi have made, as the genre often loves to use more textural elements, rather than creating whimsy and structure. Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders' album of Promises is a great example of such. She uses the textures and dynamics of modern classical music to her fullest extent, creating a dynamic sound from start to finish that changes with the key points of Amelia Earhart's long plane ride. At the start, I felt as though I was getting into the adventure of a lifetime with how magical and whimsy the start was, but by the end with the second to last track of Radio, I felt as though I myself was crashing down, much like Amelia Earhart. The music made me feel like Amelia, in fact it STILL makes me feel like her even after repeated listens, and it is all due to the strength that the dynamics held within the music.

Not only that, but Laurie's lack of singing on here, aside from a few moments, perfectly situated within the album's core. This album is a documentary, and such Laurie's monologues made for much more of a thrilling experience oddly enough. It made me perfectly see the world in Amelia's eyes, and what it all was like back in her times. The speaking and the music made me engrossed in this concept album in a way that I have not experienced since my first time listening to The Mars Volta's Frances The Mute. It is just an experience and a half really!

If I could give this album some flack it'd probably be the fact the tracks on here are very short, but I will actually revoke this critique since the whole itself is basically one big, 34 minute suite, and also because a lot of classical music records usually split up the parts in a suite into multiple tracks, so really this is a non-issue. Besides, I think even despite their lengths they do an amazing, but quick job at setting the scenes and moods for this album to follow.

I do think, though, the best part of this whole album has to be The Word For Woman Here. It does something similar to most of the tracks beforehand, but what sets it apart is the lyrics and descriptions Laurie gives of just a simple remark about the word for women in Bangkok, that being Mary (though it's actually ผู้หญิง [P̄hū̂ h̄ỵing] since Bangkok is in Thailand), and just her wondering about a whole town and country of Marys. I don't quite know why it makes my heart soar, but just the wonder that Amelia Earhart must've wondered in her long escapade was both uplifting, as well as it was like a needle in my heart. My ears were already glued onto this album, but that glue certainly hardened after that track.

I doubt this'll be considered her greatest work by many years after, especially since it is extremely different from all the rest of her catalog, but Laurie Anderson has made a masterpiece of an album to me, and a definitive highlight of this year's wide range of sounds and music. I implore you to give this one a listen if you haven't already. It is a magical record for sure, and one of the best in the long line-up of pop music from this year.

Best tracks: The Word for Woman Here, Radio

Worst tracks: N/A

So from a basically no-name band on her debut, to having some names on this 1984 followup "Mister Heartbreak". Adrian Belew adds some guitar, Bill Laswell bass, as well as the mixing and producing of it. We get William S. Burroughs doing his spoken word thing, perhaps he was an inspiration. And Peter Gabriel adding vocals on one tracks and backing vocals too. He along with Laurie use her synclavier and Peter also programmed the drum parts on "Excellent Birds" where he also sings.

By the way the first time I ever even heard of a synclavier was on the Frank Zappa album "Perfect Strangers" which was also released in 1984 like this one, and I was impressed. I like the use of the synclavier on that Zappa record better than here. But the music is quite different from one another. My favourite track is the opener "Sharky's Day". Funny is the word. The album ends with "Sharkey's Night" and those two numbers were a part of one of her live stage shows.

I rated this the same as "Big Science" but there's something about this one that makes me say it's my favourite. The sound quality perhaps is part of it, maybe this is more adventerous. The guests add to it all as well.

On paper this should be my favourite record by her, but I prefer "Big Science" and the followup "Mister Heartbreak". By the way after the success of her debut she not only attracted a lot of fans, but musicians as well. From having musicians I have never heard of on her debut to having Peter Gabriel sing but also play with her synclavier on the followup "Mister Heartbreak". He also co-produced it with Bill Laswell who plays bass on that one. Oh, and Adrien Belew adds some guitar on that 1984 release and he's back 10 years later doing the same on "Bright Red".

We also get Brain Eno here, really adding to the ambience and atmosphere, plus he produced this record. Lou Reed will also guest on this one, and he and Laurie will marry. So 14 tracks worth about 53 minutes. I have a lot of respect for this record, but it's so hit and miss as well. Just not one I want to play. At least with her first two there's that novelty factor of wanting to hear her unique style where it all began. 3 stars is all I got.

She started out playing the violin but her focus became the keyboards and in particular electronics. And she speaks the lyrics she writes, at least on this record and the next one from 1984 called "Mister Heartbreak", before starting to sing more on the albums that followed. So yes this is different. Not my thing overall but I do have an appreciation for how inventive she is. There's nine musicians helping her out that I don't know, plus a backing female singer. I like the tags for this one as in art pop, experimental, electronic and spoken word.

The lady has a way with words, and that deadpan delivery is something. I get the appeal. Telling stories to music with a lot of wit. I'm not big on the processed vocals she uses at times, like on "O Superman" and the closer. She does actually sing on one track called "Example #22". My favourite song is "From The Air" with the honking horns and catchy rhythm as she speaks "This is your captain..." as humour and synths follow. The title track has some interesting lyrics as it plods along, bassoon too. At one point she says "Big science, hallelujah!". "Sweaters" is another highlight but "Walking And Falling" disappoints.

It's interesting that she was married to Lou Reed for 5 or 6 years before his passing. I really don't like the cover art, it's so 80's. Good album though, and I agree with her being in Crossover on this site.

"Landfall" is a profound collaboration between avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson and the iconic Kronos Quartet. It results in an evocative musical journey inspired by the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Released in 2018, this album masterfully blends spoken word, electronic elements, and classical string arrangements to create an immersive auditory experience.

The album's narrative is driven by Anderson's poignant reflections and haunting stories, weaving a tapestry of memories, observations, and emotions. Her voice, often processed and layered, adds a ghostly quality to the already somber themes. The Kronos Quartet complements her storytelling with a rich, textural soundscape, oscillating between dissonance and harmony, capturing the chaos and beauty of nature's wrath.

Tracks like "CNN Predicts a Monster Storm" and "The Water Rises" showcase the ensemble's ability to convey urgency and tension, while pieces like "Our Street Is a Black River" and "Nothing Left but Their Names" are more introspective, highlighting the aftermath and the human response to loss. The interplay between Anderson's electronic instrumentation and the Quartet's acoustic strings creates a dynamic contrast that keeps the listener engaged.

One of the standout aspects of "Landfall" is its ability to evoke vivid imagery and emotions without relying heavily on traditional song structures. The album flows seamlessly, more akin to a continuous piece of art rather than a collection of individual tracks. This approach allows for a deeper connection with the themes, making the listener feel like they are experiencing the events firsthand.

"Landfall" is not just an album; it's an auditory documentary that explores themes of destruction, resilience, and the passage of time. Anderson and Kronos Quartet have crafted a work that is both artistically ambitious and emotionally resonant, making it a must-listen for those who appreciate music that challenges and moves the soul.

On this album the way lyrics are delivered is not as grabbing,; instead of that spellbinding spoken word approach she rather sings on high register on several tracks. But first about my two unfavoured tracks that stick too much of the 66-minute album whole which often has a dream-like, quiet, introspective and musically minimalistic aura. Trip-hop(?) flavoured 'Only an Expert' has awful lots of words and an ear-worm chorus, and on the 11-minute monologue-centred 'Another Day in America' Laurie uses a voice-changing device. The idea is to sound like a man (on het liner notes she speaks of the fictitious character called Fenway Bergamot, "the debonair misfit on the cover") but it only reminds me of the crime/misfortune documentaries where the voices are made unidentifiable. Such a drag to listen to this long track.

The unique and personal Laurie Anderson touch is there, ie. one couldn't think of anyone else behind this bravely uncommercial album. The mentioned dreamy atmosphere is at times impressive -- although a bit monotonous on the long run --, but the definitive highlights are few. 'Bodies in Motion' reminds me nicely of Life on a String, and 'The Beginning of Memory' is a lovely fable-like story. 'Flow' is a beautiful closing piece for solo violin.

The supplementary DVD was a disappointemt for me, having seen a fascinating film written and directed by Laurie herself. Naah, the 41-minute 'Homeland: The Story of the Lark' is mainly just talking heads and live snippets focusing on the album making, and missing subtitles too, I didn't get very much of it.

'Strange Angels' is a peaceful and soft-sounding song which indeed could be described as "a charming pop ballad", to cite an album review here. Scott Johnson's bright guitar sound is enjoyable, but of course it is Laurie's clear voice that sovereignly dominates the piece, as always. Usually she's stylistically in her own league, approaching if not completely orientating to a spoken word performance instead of melodic singing. This song however is rather melodic, and could be compared to peaceful and relaxed songs by some other female singer-songwriters such as EVA DAHLGREN or JANE SIBERRY in the eighties, although Laurie doesn't get as emotional as those two.

'The Dream Before' was also taken from Strange Angels, and this is a more representative Laurie Anderson track. The tempo is very slow, and the narrative oriented vocals are lightly backed by synth only. Bobby McFerrin adds some deliberately monotonic backing vocals. Musically there's not much going on, but the lyrics interestingly paint the adult lives of siblings known as little kids from a fairy tale told by Brothers Grimm in 1812. "Hansel and Gretel are alive and well and they're living in Berlin. She is a cocktail waitress...." and so on. This single gives a good picture of the album's accessibility which nevertheless deserves to be listened to entirely. Nice, but not Laurie Anderson at her most interesting.

The first "From The Air" is one of tracks I didn't like when I heard it on YouTube, but now I find it humorous as i've warmed up to her sound. Next up is the title track where the album gets interesting. LAURIE displays her unique ability to use spoken word with strange musical backings. On here we get a drony synth line with sticks and harmonicas and percussion. Not gonna go into track by track but throughout this album we get bagpipes, bongo drums, saxophones, accordions, farfisa bass, casiotone, bottles, handclaps, piccolo, clarinet, rototoms, marimba and several instruments that LAURIE constructed herself. Despite being minimalist in terms of composition, there is great diversity in the sound textures which has made this a highly sampled album by hip hop artists.

For example, on her huge hit "O Superman" which actually hit #2 on the UK charts, she constructed a specially modified violin that has a recording head on it that makes weird sounds. She also uses a vocoder to alter her voice. Her lyrics are semi-hilarious and semi-serious just like her vocal style is kind of a semi-spoken, semi-sung type. This is a very strange album made all the stranger by realizing it came out in the 80s when there was nothing even remotely close to this. In fact there probably still isn't. LAURIE ANDERSON has found a place where no one else has dared to tread. Hypnotic, melodic, profound and downright silly. All these adjectives come to mind when i'm listening to this. An excellent taste of the avant-garde art pop that works on different levels.

I suspect the reason I may like this album a lot is because it is a marriage of the profound thought provoking poetry of LAURIE and her brilliant delivery of it and the excellent production of Brian Eno who helps out in the songwriting department and with some additional help on some instruments and arrangements. The music that accompanies the precisely timed lyrics is impeccable and the decision to use which instrument when and where is equally impressive. It really doesn't matter if LAURIE is half reciting like on "Speak My Language" or trading off words with her backup singer as on the title track or fully singing as on the dual vocal song "Muddy River" with only an accompanying drumbeat. The songs are harmonically and melodically interesting making LAURIE ANDERSON a true master of her unique brand of experimental art pop.

Now that i've seen the BRIGHT RED light I need to revisit her discography to hear if i've been missing out on more gems like this or if this is a unique concoction that has enough Eno influence to spice up LAURIE's bizarre take on her poetic take on music. I find this album very diverse up to the last few tracks and then it kind of runs its course. Of the two parts of the album that are titled BRIGHT RED and TIGHTROPE I find the first side to be utterly brilliant with the second starting out strong and slowly fading into the less so.

Laurie Anderson, besides being a talented arranger, performer (violin, keyboards), song writer, composer and vocalist, has no match as far as comparisons go. Her musical world and language stands alone. Therefore, in able to suggest the greatness of "BRIGHT RED", I will have to turn for some kind of metaphors to explain a language without translation.

Songs constructed in independent styles, that never fall far from Mrs. Anderson's realms, and yet, go through all kinds of transitions and states of emotions, that are always "glued" by the never oversized, "dark" and "angelical" voice, that more than singing, "croons" austoundingly intelligent and intimate lyrics, that never lose their wit or humour, even if the feeling of the song goes the opposite way. Her means of "expression" as far as known styles go, go from "Ambiental/Cabaret" to "Progressive/Folk/ Electronic" to "Ambiental story telling" (if such a thing exists and no "Prog/Pop" on this one), and yet her musical identity and musical language is never lost in these "trips" of emotions. The best attribute I find in Mrs. Anderson's music, besides all of the above, is how her music, without compromises, neither market-wise nor audience-like, can be so damn personal and friendly at the same time, to the lucky person who gets to witness her intimate soul, delivered out in the open, in her pen-written compositions.

"BRIGHT RED" compresses all of these attributes into one single "crossover" experience. Austere, intelligent, deep as no one else can go, and still laugh about the whole thing.

A "Masterpiece" of Prog, both unique and flawless in performance and composition. Add all that, equals ***** 5 PA stars.