Anna B Savage – in|FLUX
Anna B Savage's second album in|FLUX is beautifully produced, but let down at times by conventional compositions
in|FLUX has roughly the same shape as Anna B Savage’s debut A Common Turn: throbbing instrumental drive in the first half, moving into large dance rhythms on track six before eventually falling back into acoustic softness. It’s well-textured, with lovely details in the production that make your ears stand to attention (listen closely to the dulling of the guitar strings on I Can Hear the Birds Now).
The album is best in its most densely layered moments, where you find yourself picking out new percussive sounds with each listen. Hungry combines Savage’s acoustic timbre with the sequencer – it’s a promising mix, but unfortunately is held back by a somewhat predictable guitar part, and never quite matches the title track in terms of energy.
Lyrically the whole record suffers from something of a feeling of claustrophobia. It’s littered with intimate scenes where Savage distils the enormity of a relationship into one mundane moment (The Ghost’s opening monologue sets the scene for the whole album in this regard). But staying on theme for 40 uninterrupted minutes leaves you craving some lyrics, even a scrap, that make contact with the wider world.
Listen to: in|FLUX, Hungry