Anarchytecture
Release Date: 15 January 2016
1.Love Someone Else/2. Victim/3.Beauty Is A Curse/4. Death To The Lovers/5. In The Back Room/6.Bullets/7. That Sinking Feeling/8. Without You/9. Suckers!/10.We Are The Flames/11. I’ll Let You Down
4 years after ‘Black Traffic’, Skunk Anansie came back roaring, at the beginning of 2016. The announcement of their 6th studio album was one of the reasons we were mentally ‘pushing’ 2015 away. My first impression of this album was influenced by the conceptual strength of its title…‘Anarchytecture‘! A word which encapsulates so many ideas even without lyrics and music. For the band,as it has been stated during interviews, the meaning of the word is symbolic and refers to the demanding task of organizing all the different,chaotic often,parts of their lives in such a way so that they can also dedicate themselves to the creation of a new album. As I listened to the album without a pause twice, I realized how this word gradually started to be filled with ideas, dynamism, notes and dare. I could write a whole essay based on the inspired word ‘anarchytecture’ but the fact is that very few groups could have supported such a strong title and even fewer musicians could have attempted to write music for the concept ‘anarchytecture’. Skunk Anansie is a band that has always used strong words, starting from their name which is a reference to both a superhero (Anansi) and a mammal. The word ‘skunk’ is a slang term for a bad person or even a drug. Dualities and opposite powers seem to fascinate this band as a concept, as one can conclude from almost all of their song titles and their lyrics. I like the way this band channels vindication through rock music following a path that has not been widely explored. With a strong rock feel at its core, the music of Skunk Anansie does not fall short of references to soul and even rap and psychedelic trance music. Skunk Anansie are unapologetic about their disappointment about certain things and the anger that comes with it and have left a strong mark on the rock music scene since the release of their first album in 1994. The titles of some songs tell half of the story and it is actually the live appearances of the band that completes the picture that Skin, Cass, Ace and Mark are sketching.
Following the release of the first three politically charged albums, Skunk Anansie disbanded and all the members pursued solo careers before reuniting in 2008. The lyrics up to that point were making references to very serious social problems that had to do with racial and sexual discrimination not leaving religious stereotypes and Christianity out of the discourse. The albums that followed, ‘Wonderlustre’ and ‘Black Traffic’ marked a change in the subjects of the lyrics since most of the songs referred to the dynamics of personal relationships and the resulting hurt on ego. Very important political events that happened worldwide could not have left the band indifferent so in ‘Black Traffic’ there are hints at those events especially in “This Is Not A Game”,. Skunk Anansie have consistently released albums of unique sonic quality with music that has many levels, many rhythmic outbreaks and causes emotions of different intensities. ‘Anarchytecture’ couldn’t be anything less than all these and more. Here is why…
When architecture, ‘anarchy’ and music meet
“Anarchism does not demand the changing of the labels on the layers, it doesn’t want different people on top, it wants us to clamber out underneath” Colin Ward, ‘Anarchy In Action’
Architecture inspired by anarchist, anti-authoritarian ideas, has the potential to open new possibilities of coexistence that could provide a better quality of life for the
99% of the human race on the planet. Having said that, this is not the place to expand on this further especially since Antoni Negri, Colin Ward, Doreen Massey, the Situationists and many more activists around the globe have extensively explored this subject. At the same time, architecture has historically been utilized as a tool in the global political game in order to enforce cultural changes and changes in people’s criteria about what is important and what is qualitatively acceptable in a city’s built environment. Throughout the years we have witnessed buildings and open spaces, becoming symbols of fights against different political agendas so the role of architecture is very much part of our everyday lives. I am not aware if the reference to architecture in the album’s title was intentional in that sense, maybe this is a good question for the band but if somebody was to put a soundtrack to these architectural/social endeavours then ‘We are The Flames’ would be the perfect song!
“We are the flames we are the fire
We are the price you pay for filling your desires…” (lyrics from: “We Are The Flames”)
The album starts with a catchy and motivating pop rhythm in “Love Someone Else“ whose chorus is delivered in the backdrop of a chill out electric atmosphere almost in contrast with the dynamic of the title. The guitar’s rhythmic tone aligns with the dynamic of the lyrics making them very direct as if Skin is addressing each one of us personally. The change in the atmosphere at the chorus, is making the words ‘…it makes you love someone else…’ feel less grave than they actually are, giving them a dreamy, optimistic and positive direction. A similar sophisticated approach is followed in “Victim“ where up to the first chorus the dynamics of the words are encapsulated in the minimal melody played at the electric guitar, before being transformed to heavier accords just before the second chorus (after 1.45) . The tremble at the electric guitar in the chorus (after 1.18), sends electric currents up on my spine each time. The minimal, electric guitar is gradually building up emotion before the chorus. All this matters until after the second chorus (after 2.38) where all these elements are heightened with more distortion in the guitar, more passionate delivery of lyrics in every chorus that follows and Skin touching all our emotional chords with her vocal turns, the repetitions and the elongated words creating an environment of psychedelic turmoil while singing
“Now see this gasoline, on fuels for all to see,
The dream is there,
The dream is there, the dream, the dream, the dream…” (lyrics from: “Victim”)
Skunk Anansie have proven in the past, especially in ‘Post Organic Chill’ their skill and quality in delivering ballads, whether rock or soul inspired. In Anarchytecture, “Death To The Lovers” appears almost half way through the album, to tone down the feelings and prepare the ground for the rest of the album before the next three, rather catchy in rhythm and style rock songs “In The Back Room”, “Bullets” and “That Sinking Feeling”. But this is Skunk Anansie and despite what the rhythm says, the lyrics are stressing other very serious things (i.e. “In The Back Room” deals with substance addiction). Mark Richardson has stated during an interview that in most songs, apart from “Death To The Lovers” the music came before the lyrics, but this matters less especially since there is no discord between what the melodies are implying and what the lyrics are saying. It is important to also state that this is the first album that Tom Dalgety (Band of Skulls, Royal Blood, Killing Joke) has produced for the band, but apart from all this, I really admire Skunk Anansie for their social perceptiveness and their always timely appearances in the music scene via a new album release.
“He takes a sip
To trip the twist
Your fingers itching
‘cause you’re needing…” (lyrics from: “In The Back Room”)
And what can one say about the multitude of references in the lyrics of “Bullets”? References to the problem of religious fanaticism, religious fundamentalism even to sexual discrimination and to paternalistic models of existence, references to woman emancipation struggles and so many more
“See the man with the girls and the bullets for his fancies
A knife in the fight
He know nothing is going to stop him…
The seeds are growing,
the fillers are for new girls to crave,
life ain’t worth living,
when godliness is better than pain…” (lyrics from: “Bullets”)
Soul influences reappear in another form in “Without You” a hybrid between a traditional rock melody and a soothing soul song, not lacking the dynamics of a rock song or the calmness of a soul ballad merging the two and heightening both through the delivery of the lyrics. What happens next in the album is both unexpected and revolting as are the lyrics of “We Are The Flames”. The 1.21 long solo entitled “Suckers”, introduces somehow the next song with a heavy guitar playing. The riff of “We Are The Flames” brilliantly feels like a slower version of the riff of “Suckers”. The drums come to the foreground in this case as it is contextually fitting for what the lyrics are advocating. Listening to this song for at least 5 times in a row was liberating. References to the public’s deceit from the media, references to the struggles of oppressed people around the globe as a result of unsurpassable historic problems, references to a boiling dynamics amongst the 99%, direct references to religious fanaticism and its attacks on people who do not aspire this!
“I get no rush without a view
Watching all the puppeteers parade in evil news
Then they say we are alright
Then they say we are alright…
I get no crush without a pune
Mentally I’m sanctified
By kamikaze fools
Yeah they say we are alright
Let me say we are alright…” (lyrics from: “We Are The Flames”)
The album finishes by emotionally discharging the atmosphere with “I’ll let you down” that feels like a lullaby with its soothing, calm melody and the reassuring voice of Skin who at the same time sings about the bitterness of feeling (or made to feel) not worthy enough for someone. The album might finish like this but don’t expect to carry on with your lives as you were before listening to it, this is rock music relevant for our feelings and our lives. This is a great album to have and to listen live in a big venue with a big stage where all the energy of the rhythms can find an outlet!
Skunk Anansie are playing live at the O2 Brixton Academy on February 4, 2017 as part of their european tour!
8/10
Blaue Rosen 