"4 Degrees" by Anohni

Antony Hegarty (previously here) has transitioned and is now known as Anohni. And her first release under her new name is "ANOHNI: HOPELESSNESS" out in the spring of 2016. In an interview with a fan site, she said, "The record is as different as could be from my previous work. I am not sure that many of you who prefer the early chamber music style will enjoy it! It is a dance / experimental electronic record with quite a dark thematic undertow. It is an album I felt very compelled to produce."

And you can't get darker than this view of climate change. The title of this song, "4 degrees," references a 2015 study which found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current pace, the Earth's temperature will rise by four degrees Celsius by the end of the century, threatening one-sixth of the world's species with extinction. To make a point, Anohni here wears the attitude of someone who insists that a global difference of 4 degrees is inconsequential. But if one blithely takes that position, then one must accept the inevitable, violent consequences which she outlines in the painful, shocking lyrics. The music too is large, urgent, and unrelenting. She says, "I have grown tired of grieving for humanity, and I also thought I was not being entirely honest by pretending that I am not a part of the problem. 4 Degrees is kind of a brutal attempt to hold myself accountable, not just valorize my intentions but also reflect on the true impact of my behaviors."

>

It's only 4 degrees, it's only 4 degrees
It's only 4 degrees, it's only 4 degrees

I wanna see this world, I wanna see it boil
I wanna see this world, I wanna see it boil
It's only 4 degrees, it's only 4 degrees
It's only 4 degrees, it's only 4 degrees

I wanna hear the dogs crying for water
I wanna see fish go belly-up in the sea
All those lemurs and all those tiny creatures
I wanna see them burn, it's only 4 degrees

And all those rhinos and all those big mammals
I wanna see them lying, crying in the fields

(I want to see them burn)

I wanna see them burn, it's only 4 degrees
I wanna see them burn, it's only 4 degrees

I wanna burn them, I wanna burn them
I wanna burn them, I wanna burn them

I wanna burn the sky, I wanna burn the breeze
I wanna see the animals die in the trees
Oh let's go, let's go it's only 4 degrees
Oh let's go, let's go it's only 4 degrees
Oh let's go, let's go it's only 4 degrees
Oh let's go, let's go it's only 4 degrees

I wanna burn them, I wanna burn them
I wanna burn them, I wanna burn them

http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/

Currently listening to...

...the luscious "dark disco" sound of "Blind" by Hercules and Love Affair with vocals by Antony Hegarty. It popped up on my playlist a few hours ago and I have had it on repeat for a while now...

As a child I knew
that the stars could only get brighter
then we would get closer
get closer
mmm mmm

As a child I knew
that the stars could only get brighter
then we could get closer
leaving this darkness
behind

Now that I'm older
the stars shed light upon my face
but when I found myself alone
find myself alone

Now that I'm older
the stars shed light upon my face
but when I found myself alone
I feel like I, I am blind

Feeling
Feeling
Feeling
Feeling
like I am blind

I wish the stars could shine now
For they are closer, they are near
But they will not present my presence
they will not present my presence

I wish the light could shine now
For it is closer, it is near
But it will not present my presence
And it makes my past and future painfully clear

To hear you now
To see you now
I can look outside myself
I must examine my breath
I look inside
ooooh

To hear you now
To see you now
I can look outside myself
I must examine my breath
and look inside
Because I feel blind
Because I feel blind

Feeling
Feeling
Feeling
Feeling
like I am blind

http://herculesandloveaffair.com/

Currently listening to...

..."Crazy In Love" by Antony and the Johnsons.
I am obsessed with this amazing live cover of what was originally a dreadful, ridiculous Beyoncé song. It was re-imagined as a trembling ballad, breathtakingly arranged for the Metropole Orchestra and sung by--well, it's not fair to say "sung" by Antony; it's more like he eviscerates himself, and reaches inside to pull out longing and despair from the depths of the collective soul of humanity.

http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/

Currently listening to...

..."Time Will" by Hercules and Love Affair. Wow.

The visuals for this video are from an Antony and the Johnsons video for their song "You Are My Sister."

http://herculesandloveaffair.com/
https://www.facebook.com/herculesandloveaffair