Anne Clark "THE LAW Is An Anagram Of WEALTH" 1993***

Anne Clark's live album "RSVP" was probably the first electronica album I bought. Being a teen rock fan at the time, I was indifferent to the electronic pop of early Depeche Mode, Human League etc and openly hostile to the nascent house and techno scenes. I considered them brainless and tuneless noise, but Clark's poetry, shouted or plainly recited over electronic beats, managed to move me and overcome my objections. RSVP fell victim of the Great Vinyl Purge long ago, but I still occasionally play her CDs and have really enjoyed her concert at the Rodon club, sometime around 95. Although this album had circulated at the time, I only heard it much later. The introduction surprised me, as it consisted of a cello instrumental. It turns out that electronic music was just one vehicle used by Clark to deliver her poetry and that she is equally adept with acoustic instruments. In this album she combines both. As half the album consists of readings of poems by Friedrich Rückert, a 19th century German Romantic poet and scholar, she mostly uses acoustic instruments for Rückert's texts and more electronic backing for her own. Helping with creating the serene atmospherics is Martyn Bates of 80's romantic new wavers Eyeless In Gaza. "So Quiet Here", "Come in" and "At Midnight" also feature cellos, the latter carrying a Middle Eastern vibe. "Lost to the World" is more Chinese flavoured, these world music references probably derived by the fact that Rückert was primarily known as an orientalist. "Fragile World" is a beautiful new wave song, with music reminiscent of Cure's more lyrical moments. "That We Have Been Here" has a mid-tempo, almost atonal, electronic backing but the following track "Longing Stilled" astonishes with its luminous melody, chamber music strings and what sounds like a plucked instrument playing a vaguely oriental tune. "Nightship" begins with a mid-tempo electronic percussion and, from now on, the music resembles Clark's electronic 80's heyday. "Seize the Vivid Sky" expands on the thoughts expressed on the album title "Take in every breath deep enough to fly/Away from lies these changes have forced into our lives/Up into a tranquil place that's constantly denied/Far from the crushing power which brought me to my knees/ Earthbound, justice stays always out of reach/Disobey/Defy/Take your own time/Fly". With its rousing beat, melodic synth lines and defiant vocal delivery, it is Anne Clark at her best, one to rival her big hits like "Our Darkness". "The Haunted Road" is the most upbeat track, bordering on techno. As such, it's been chosen as single and known various remixes. "I of the Storm" is a...well, let's say stormy number with the band wreaking havoc and vocalist shouting at the top of her lungs. An unsettlingly loud epilogue for an album that started off so gently. I was very satisfied with Anne Clark's acoustic approach and eager to listen more in the same vein. I continued with the live album "From the Heart", which I aim to present on a later occasion.

**** for Fragility, Longing Stilled, Seize the Vivid Sky
*** for Introduction: Flight Through Sunlit Clouds, So Quiet Here, At Midnight, Come in, Nightship, The Haunted Road

** for Lost to the World, That We Have Been Here, I of the Storm