Aanonymous Band is a band from Sweden that recently released an album entitled Feelings. I can’t find any names for these guys and possible gals but I do know that the band is made up of a professor of physics and two musicians. If the professor is playing an instrument wouldn’t that make him a musician as well?
Taking one look at the “about page” on their website provides no details that most bands mention but instead it repeatedly is talking about the sample rate and other technical jargon most listeners could care less about unless you’re an audiophile. They even talk about the “the loudness war.” I thought it would been hilarious if the recording quality was mediocre after talking about the technical aspects so much but that is not the case. The production and recording quality is exceptional. On their site they say, “We want the listener to have the feeling of being there” which I think is probably the goal of most band’s recordings. A less vague description of their recording would be to say that it sounds intimate and organic. The vocalist sounds as if he singing about three feet away. You can hear the nuances and inflection in his voice. Most of the time the instruments sound as if they are being played in a 12x12 room with perfect acoustics with hardly any effects with the exception of some subtle reverb. On their Bandcamp page they say their music is melancholy and dark. I would say those are correct assessments but the music also contains tinges of beauty which they neglect to mention. Take for instance the opener “Mother” which combines lightly played drums, orchestral strings, guitar, bass and a delicate vocal performance. The song’s deceptively catchy but also contains introspective lyrics as if his brain is having a Freudian therapy session. The band has more success with “Ragnarök” and “Diamonds” but “Rain On the Window” felt like the clear highlight. “Rain on the Window” starts with sparse but effective instrumentation as if it could fall apart. When the chorus comes and the vocalist sings, “Looking at my feeling like rain on the wind I am looking at the way I feel like rain on the window” he hits the sweet spot where it all comes together. “Feelings of Mine” is another good song with effective orchestral strings while “Home” has shades of Elliott Smith. If you have a proclivity to appreciate melancholy music Feelings will most likely be one of your favorite albums this year. For those afraid to dwell in the darkness for too long this album will have a time and place. At it best Feelings can feel like a self-reflective meditation that like-minded souls can empathize with and briefly patch up their own pain.
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