Anika (album)
Encyclopedia
The album received generally favorable reviews. It earned a collective score of 65 out of 100 from Metacritic
. Heather Phares from Allmusic stated, "Though the album is mostly covers, Anika imprints her identity on every track. [...] Anika is a bold, often fearless debut, and even if it’s occasionally an acquired taste, it doesn’t hedge its bets." David Edwards, writing for Drowned in Sound
, described the album as an "unhinged record that isn’t easy to look squarely in the eye. But the reward is in the depth and sheer bewilderment of every single creak, croak and crackle." Ben Hogwood of musicOMH
commented, "Anika, then, has made an intriguing record, but not one that should be listened to by nervy people in isolation. Full of lyrical and musical contradictions, [...], it isn't exactly rabble rousing - but has a strange allure nonetheless."
"No One's There" was released as the second single from the album on July 4, 2011. The music video for "No One's There" was directed by John Minton, who had also directed the music video for "Yang Yang." In the music video, Anika sings in a Warholian
Plastic Inevitable
setting intercut with shots of Bristol and Stokes Croft council estates and other gritty, empty street scenes. Ken Taylor from XLR8R
praised the single for combining "Delta 5
-meets-Nico
-style vocals and rude-boy dub rhythms for something that's as joyously energizing as it is nostalgic."
" from September 30, to October 2, 2011, with fellow Stones Throw label-mate Peanut Butter Wolf
.
Anika sung "I Go to Sleep" live and premiered her filmed performance for PopMatters
on January 27, 2011.
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Heather Phares from Allmusic stated, "Though the album is mostly covers, Anika imprints her identity on every track. [...] Anika is a bold, often fearless debut, and even if it’s occasionally an acquired taste, it doesn’t hedge its bets." David Edwards, writing for Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
, described the album as an "unhinged record that isn’t easy to look squarely in the eye. But the reward is in the depth and sheer bewilderment of every single creak, croak and crackle." Ben Hogwood of musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
commented, "Anika, then, has made an intriguing record, but not one that should be listened to by nervy people in isolation. Full of lyrical and musical contradictions, [...], it isn't exactly rabble rousing - but has a strange allure nonetheless."
Singles
"Yang Yang" was released as the album's lead single commercially worldwide on September 13, 2010, through digital distribution."No One's There" was released as the second single from the album on July 4, 2011. The music video for "No One's There" was directed by John Minton, who had also directed the music video for "Yang Yang." In the music video, Anika sings in a Warholian
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
Plastic Inevitable
Exploding Plastic Inevitable
The Exploding Plastic Inevitable, sometimes simply called Plastic Inevitable or EPI, was a series of multimedia events organized by Andy Warhol between 1966 and 1967, featuring musical performances by The Velvet Underground and Nico, screenings of Warhol's films, and dancing and performances by...
setting intercut with shots of Bristol and Stokes Croft council estates and other gritty, empty street scenes. Ken Taylor from XLR8R
XLR8R
XLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
praised the single for combining "Delta 5
Delta 5
-Career:The original members of Delta 5, Julz Sale , Ros Allen and Bethan Peters , formed the band "on a lark", but soon became a part of the thriving Leeds post-punk scene, and later added Kelvin Knight on drums and Alan Riggs on guitar...
-meets-Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
-style vocals and rude-boy dub rhythms for something that's as joyously energizing as it is nostalgic."
Promotion
To promote Anika, Anika toured as part of the Portishead-curated festival "All Tomorrow's PartiesAll Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
" from September 30, to October 2, 2011, with fellow Stones Throw label-mate Peanut Butter Wolf
Peanut Butter Wolf
Chris Manak, aka Peanut Butter Wolf, is a DJ, hip-hop producer and the founder of hip-hop label Stones Throw Records.A native of San Jose, California, He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster”...
.
Anika sung "I Go to Sleep" live and premiered her filmed performance for PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
on January 27, 2011.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits for Anika adapted from Allmusic.- Anika – composer, vocals
- Geoff BarrowGeoff BarrowGeoffrey Paul Barrow is the producer, disc jockey, and instrumentalist for Portishead.Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol where Barrow grew up...
– producer - Shawn Joseph – mastering
- Stuart Matthews – engineer
- Clare May – cover photo
- Johnny O-Carroll – artwork
- Ratman – remixing
- Mig Schillace – artwork
External links
- "I Go to Sleep" (Live for PopMatters) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- "No One's There" at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....