You’ll recall that Anna Tivel had a new album planned for this year, it’s called ‘The Question‘, and we’ve already been lucky enough to share the track ‘Worthless‘ from it. Well, hold onto your Homburgs, keep your Breton caps in sight and don’t fling your Fedora – you’ll want to keep your head covered at the latest information we can impart. Anna Tivel has only gone and shared the album on NPR music (here).
Having heard some of the new tunes live when Anna Tivel toured the UK last year we suspected that the album was going to be quite good – like end of the year top 10 albums of the year list good. And it is. More than that though, Anna Tivel has proven again what a fine songwriter she is, and with her restrained playing and her voice that whispers of terrible things and the possibilities of hope she has surely landed at least one “song of the year” too. Which one? Well, ‘Two Strangers‘ is a beautifully observed urban fairy tale which will appeal to anyone who believes in love: “and I came around the corner on a bitter Saturday / a flower stand and trash cans on the kerb / And I bought a cup of coffee from a man who never saw me / turned around and raised it up and there you were / And my heart escaped my body flew right up and disappeared / and I thought I might lose you in the crowd…“. Then again, there is ‘Fenceline‘ that curses borders and poverty, and ‘Anthony‘ with the terror of a house fire and the terror of ending relationships. Oh, and what about… look, it is all good, take a listen.