For all those fans of Antony Hegarty, who mourn his cooperation with Hercules & Love Affair there is good news. Antony’s first album under his or their new artist name Anohni is once again a cooperation with electronic producers, of which at least one – Hudson Mohawke – can be declared as club savvy. For Oneohtrix Point Never this may not entirely be the case, hence a Disco or House album should not be expected. This results in an electrifying tension between the almost excessive artificial cheesiness of Hudson Mohawke and the light gloomy conceptual approach of Daniel Lopatins aka Oneohtrix Point Never. Antony had previously collaborated with the latter, on the introspective song »Returnal« for the eponymous album by Oneohtrix Point Never.
»Hopelessness« however is in every instance more direct, more bombastic and yes, more danceable compared to the earlier encounter of the two. And these light, antagonistic soundscapes, which grew from the meeting of the two producers, fit quite naturally to Anohni’s voice, which is in itself a confusingly layered creation, in which the diverse voices appear to unite. With this velvety one man choir, Anohni sings abysmal lines like »Hello, drone bomb me« or »I wanna see the animals die in the trees«. And one lets him get away with it, because he sings these words in a way that their dark beauty unfolds and at the same time conveys a – fragile – feeling of comfort.
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