Brick And Stone, We All Fall Down

Anni Rossi “Venice” (Afton version)

Anni Rossi’s proper debut album Rockwell came out in March, but last fall she released an EP called Afton which includes more than half of the songs on that record. This sort of thing happens all the time, but the difference between the recordings runs contrary to the normal logic of these things, in which the EP is essentially a glorified demo tape, and the LP is a polished, finished product. Whereas the Afton recordings sound full, robust, and feature extremely bold vocal performances, Rockwell is raw, tentative, and comparatively restrained. I cannot imagine why the more timid recordings were privileged, or why Rossi opted to dial back her excesses when they served her so well. The most dramatic difference between takes is “Venice,” which sounds seasick and unhinged on Afton, but limp and stiff on Rockwell. The former highlights everything fascinating and engaging about Rossi as a composer and performer, leading the listener through an eccentric structure that dives from peaks to depths, and showcases her wild emoting. At some points in the song, Rossi sounds positively orgasmic, and in other moments, just flat-out weird — gurgling, hiccuping, shrieking. She may go further out than most people are willing to go, but it’s astonishing, moving, and sexy stuff. Hopefully she’s not abandoning this style permanently — there’s no reason for this woman to hedge her bets.

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