Any - Mega Mercy

Extremely on-point debut outing from Greco-Canadian artist Any, made in conjunction with producer LA Timpa which, as the label itself very astutely points out, shares a number of parallels with the ideas explored by Astrid Sonne on her breakout Great Doubt LP last year. It's not so much that the records sound the same per se - though it's not that they don't, either - more so that they similarly transpose traditionally avant garde compositional ideas into a more overtly pop (relatively speaking) context. The Celtic harp is at the foundation of Any's songwriting, a seemingly naturally emotive instrument that lends itself well to modern electronic dreampop/slowcore, while also offering a crucial point of difference in what is now an admittedly crowded field. Violins, clarinets and such like - sure, there's been a few. But harps? Less common I'd suggest. Any's vocals are also coolly detached like, say, Carla dal Forno, Great Area or Tirzah, which offers a sharp counterpoint to the traditional roots of her chosen instrument, a dissonance in its own way which makes the overall presentation seem that much more appealing. More interestingly still, on '2hoursnonstopworship' there's a creeping, post-rock like quality that could almost be The For Carnation, an unexpected development that suggests there's a good deal more in the tank here than an easy Astrid Sonne comparison. At just seven songs long, it's over before you know it, but there's enough on display here to imply further riches are likely just round the corner.
 
FFO: Astrid Sonne, Carla dal Forno, Tirzah, Nala Sinephro