Anne – “Mixtape One”

Several months ago, I wrote about a Portland, OR band called Anne that made Jim the indie expert express himself in a mildly coherent way by comparing the band to “My Bloody Valentine and Nickelback with a splash of Coldplay”.  Try as I might, I listened to the tracks over and over to see exactly where those influences existed within the songs, if at all, and just couldn’t wrap my mind around it (sorry, Anne, if you’re going for the MBV/Nickelback approach via Coldplay, but you’re failing miserably).

Anne is no MBV - not because their music lacks integrity, but because they’ve carved out a musical identity independent of MBV’s appeal – but on the bright side, they’re also no Nickelback or Coldplay (because their music doesn’t lack integrity).   At any rate, Anne have released more material that will likely make Jim return once more to share the depth of his musical knowledge with us.

This four-track mixtape, which they’ve simply called Mixtape One, is a follow-up to the demo tracks they previously released.  Still awash with ethereal guitars, Anne add synth, augmented song structures, and more prominent vocals to suggest a mature pop feel for this effort, kinda like they crafted the tracks with cinematic scenes in mind, although not in an empty-for-the-sake-of-commercialism kind of way.

Mixtape One glows with a fuzzy sparkle that takes understated, low-key songs and elevates them to wider consumption levels.  The compositions are, overall, lush, complementary, and well-developed.  Anne’s Mixtape picks up exactly where their 2010 demo, except for raw “Summer Babies” and “Punk Bike”, left off: smooth vocals, the ocean surf sound of buzzing guitars, and the warm personality of infectious drum beats.

Two of Mixtape‘s tracks stand out the most, “Stripping” and “Perfect Teeth”.  Indicative of West Coast charm, they lull like the pacifying glare of  sun-speckled wave tops swept over by the directionless flight of soaring, singing gulls.  Anne have recently signed on with ATX’s Withdrawal Records and plan to release a 7″ EP as well as a 7″ split with Memphis band American Gods.  Check out “Stripping” below or download Mixtape One for free.

This Is Anne

Anne are a fledgling Portland, OR quartet who have laid down their heavy hardcore roots in lieu of a soothing brand of music that has the sonic rush of a late afternoon drive down PCH.  Their music is best described as a wash of vocals drifting over bright guitar melodies that, even when distorted, emerge beautifully through the cascade of warm gain and overdrive.  Their self-titled, 5-track demo, which is available as a free download here, shimmers with a forceful energy while still maintaing a tranquil ambience akin to West Coast contemporaries The Meeting Places.

The songs on the free download are short, poignant, and memorable; accessible; catchy.  Although Anne is an upstarting band in the Portland area, its members have pasts filled with touring on independent labels.  Departing from their individual groundings in punk and hardcore music, they now find themselves advancing in a new direction toward subtlety and simplicity (and, f—, is it good!). 

Find out the latest on Anne here.