Autre Ne Veut
“Play By Play”
Anxiety (due out 2/26 on Software)
Brooklyn future-synth/laseR&B* vocalist Autre Ne Veut (né Arthur Ashin) is finally about ready for his close-up. His self-titled, 2010 debut came a few years too early, but his progressive style is perfectly poised for a break-out in the current atmosphere. While Anxiety‘s first single, “Counting,” was a lot more accesible, “Play By Play” highlights Ashin’s pliant, hyper-expressive vocals and cuttingly personal lyrics. The arraignment is pure vaporwave, with Ashin’s powerful delivery drenched in cascading MIDI twinkles and colorful globs of neon synths. I think ANV might still be a little too weird (and too weird-looking) to hit the heights of some recent progressive R&B artists, but in truth, his music sounds a lot more like Miguel than it doesn’t. This could easily end up being one of the albums of the year.
*feel free to insert your own preferred made-up genre title here
