Brighton band Anemo are back with the second album they have
had released on American label City Canyons and those like me
who loved 2005’s ‘Slowburn’ will not be disappointed. This is
more of the same. It’s intelligent, mature and pulsing rock
music.
The album kicks off with first single release ‘Pray’, a song that
takes it’s inspiration from the experiences of foreign
correspondents in the Middle East. It’s a track that makes full
use of the fact that the band has two female vocalists. The
music is a powerful as the subject matter and it has some
excellent female/female harmonies.
Second single and second track on the album ‘MusicBox’ features one of the hallmarks of the Anemo
sound. A shimmering and cymbal heavy drum riff combined with a precisely matched guitar riff that
gradually metamorphoses into a rocking chorus that leaves the blood pumping. It is worth noting that
this pattern is similar to many of the tracks on ‘Slowburn’, hence the Anemo sound, but it is not
repeated so often in this collection. The influences come from a wider background. ‘Filthy Figure
Skater’ features a riff reminiscent of Southern Rock and ‘Anyway’ is a soaring, lilting track that could
have been made by REM at their most elegiac.
Maybe it’s just personal preference, but I find the last two tracks on the album ‘Another Side To The
Story’ and ‘Still’ a little uncomfortable to listen to. They are both excellently written and produced
songs, but deal with very personal subject matters that seem a little too confessional.
In the modern music industry it is possible that Anemo could easily be ignored. They don’t tick any of
the boxes that get you noticed. It’s not edgy, it’s not pedal-to-the-metal and it’s not controversial. It’s
just perfectly crafted, perfectly powerful, old-school rock music. If there’s no room for craftsmanship
of this calibre then the business is in more serious trouble than any of us realise.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
When the first single from Stentorian was released in October 2007 — the rock anthem Pray — it was so phenomenal that it was difficult to believe that Anemo could successfully follow something so special. Pray is indeed a magnificent tribute — not only to BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson, whose brush with \'friendly fire\' during the Iraq war inspired the song, but also to music.

With its unusual Arabic overcast and tremendous vocals, Pray is outstanding — but Stentorian\'s eleven tracks are all very different and creditable in their own right and a second single, MusicBox, will also be released to coincide with the album. MusicBox is an irresistible, melodic jaunt of musical notes with gorgeous vocals wrapped around them — among the best of rock-pop.

Beautiful vocal delivery with great lyrics and terrific beats meld to make up the racy She\'s Not Me. Exhilarating rock comes with dashing guitar work and subtle drumming — that\'s Filthy Figure Skater, with its neat vocal treatment and odd title.

Anemo is fantastic and vocalist Hazelle Woodhurst is a knock-out; with a gutsy vocal presentation that switches itself in a second to complement every single track on Stentorian, including the attractive Anyway with its splendid folk-rock sound that lulls you with its gentle undulating melody and the great Shipping News.

The final thoughts of a condemned murderess may seem like a strange subject for a song, but Heaven Is Waiting? is interesting, poignant, creative and beautifully done. Stentorian finishes on the evocative Still with its haunting melody — pure genius.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
Anemo\'s second album, \'Stentorian\', clearly demonstrates the wonderfully diverse rockin\'-pop stylee of this impressive outfit. Always safely within the bounds of pop sensibility but with their softly rockin\' attack they push gently but not over-forcefully at the envelope and by doing so they widen their catchment whilst retaining commerciality.

Fronted by the powerful and well delivered vocals of Hazelle Woodhurst, Anemo are distinctive and their music quickly comes to you and becomes pretty persuasive. Anemo could so easily get carried away with \'big\' scores and start to drown out the vocals but by thoughtful restraint and some careful mixing they ensure Woodhurst\'s voice is just sufficiently forward of the guitar and keys. I suppose you could compare Anemo to Eurhythmics because of the female vocal bias and their compelling, very saleable sound but I feel that Anemo are distinctly leaning more towards rock than they are pop. Comparisons or not, Anemo are a damn fine outfit in their own right; their songs are well structured, beautifully written and skilfully executed. Anemo show that detail matters and their penchant for getting it just right stands them in good stead and means they\'re a tough act to better. Anemo\'s professionalism shines through here, every \'t\' crosses and every \'i\' dotted - nothing over-done and nothing left to chance. \'Stentorian\' is over-flowin\' with great songs performed with superb musicianship and great vision - from big, bold balladic through to gentle, lilting and subtle, Anemo show their range, flexibility and ability to make soft rock songs that\'re catchy as well as expressive.

\'Stentorian\' by Anemo is a maturely conceived and wonderfully crafted album; Anemo\'s ability to rock it up whilst retaining obvious commerciality is impressive and should see them doing well with this work. As I\'m listening I\'m looking for possible flaws, faults, areas of weakness - there are none as far as I can see - Anemo have been extremely thorough with this album; it\'s beautifully but not overly produced allowing each component part to ring out clearly and unhindered - no dynamic conflicts, no instrumental confusion or clashes - all is good, all is well - \'Stentorian\' by Anemo is quality soft rock with bags of commerciality and masses of likeability. These \'guys\' are damn good and deserve to reap major rewards for \'Stentorian\'.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
We like what Anemo have produced so far – mainly because they go their own way and create a sound they believe in rather than a commercially-inclined vehicle to popularity. Which isn’t to say they are in any way alienating, far from it. Their awareness fuels them and the global interest they have drummed up does not surprise us.

Soundwise you can’t help but be drawn in by the vocal arrangements based upon Hazelle Woodhurst and Erika Woodhurst – this was a striking feature of their single ‘Pray’ reviewed here when it came out. A further single ‘Music Box’ is planned. Both tracks are on this new album, the title referring to Stentor the Greek herald in Trojan Wars era.

‘Pray’ still sounds ace and curiously has a Duran Duran pacing and Anemo driving chorus ; then ‘Music Box’ has an erudite, insistent lyric that makes a Girls Aloud cover an unlikely notion. ‘She’s Not Me’ is bitter and choppy..personal or third person ?

Spiky guitar takes us into ‘Filthy Figure Skater’ but a dynamic arrangement doesn’t overkill the number, it strikes the listener just how intensely these songs are put over. ‘Shipping News’ is eerie and set against steady drumming. ‘Heaven Is Waiting’ has a confessional tone and edging into Eurythmics territory.

Musically accomplished, vocally splendid, lyrically anguished – Anemo are just a tad too intense for me at times but their individuality is beyond doubt and they have a focus of their own that commands respect.
                            Read more...