Anika - Anika

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release
Soundclips

5...according to our Phil on Thu 28 Oct, 2010.

This has been an office favourite for the last few weeks. In times of drought, where decent promos have been thin on the ground, we've resorted to sticking this on and it's normally brought some sort of calm to the office atmosphere before I go and ruin it by playing something awful we've been sent and practically causing a riot. It's a class album and something quite different for Invada who tend to veer around the more psych-rocky territory. It's turning out to be a pretty ecelctic label these days and this album really proves it. The album is totally full of great pop tunes all played in a slow new-wave dubby style. Think the Raincoats meets DAF & The Slits. She has a really monotonous nonchalant voice where she sounds genuinely disinterested in in what's going on in the song around her. That's its charm. It really doesn't sound like a new album as well..... it sounds like it's an unearthed classic from the early 80's. Elements of ESG, Cristina and allsorts in there. Well worth checking out!!

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Living between Berlin and Bristol whilst working as a political journalist and music promoter, Anika met Bristol band Beak>.Immediately it was clear that they shared the same musical vision; a love of punk, dub and 60’s girl groups. The following week Anika and Beak> went into the studio to begin recording Anika's debut album.They recorded the album in 12 days. The album is a collection of uneasy easy listening.Anika spent the long summers of her childhood in Germany. Raised by her music-loving rebel mother, by the time she was 16 she had bought shares in Haldern music festival, met Patti Smith and already dreamt of a life making music. Living on the outskirts of London as a teenager only increased her appetite for discovering new music and becoming a musician. Post college degree and looking for like-minded musical souls in Bristol she met Beak>. The result of this collaboration is a political /trashy /discordant /reggae /German /old school Bristol /punk-funk sound - all sown together with a collection of classic songs and a sound of other worldliness.