Foundations: Anjimile
Digging into the bedrock of their sound...
*Anjimile* is a real auteur, a songwriter whose work operates in its own sphere.
A potent lyricist, their innate musicality pushes each song - each note, even - into a uniquely emotive area.
New album 'Giver Taker' is out on September 18th, a real statement from a vivid voice, one with enriching depth.
Ahead of this, Clash dug into the bedrock of Anjimile's sound for Foundations, probing the albums that truly matter.
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*Oliver Mtukudzi - 'Tuku Music' *
My parents used to play this album in the car during family road trips in the summertime. Oliver Mtukudzi’s voice is incredibly rich, simultaneously tough and tender and full. It feels hallowed. And his guitar work is beautifully melodic, syncopated, soft, and memorable.
This album is embedded in my DNA.
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*Iron & Wine - 'Our Endless Numbered Days'*
'Sodom, South Georgia' is one of my favorite songs of all time, and Sam Beam’s fingerstyle guitar work is a huge influence on my own. I learned how to play damn near every song off this record when I was 14 or 15 years old.
Every song bubbles with tenderness, introspection, serenity and faith - themes that I explore in my own work. I put this record on when I want to relax and forget my body for a time.
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*Sufjan Stevens - 'Illinoise' *
This was the first Sufjan album I ever heard. I was transformed and blown away. I had never heard anything like it. And while I’m a hug fan of the initmate, clever songwriting and expansive arrangements, Sufjan Stevens’ singing voice is my favorite thing about this album.
The sound of his voice is one of my favourite sounds ever, period.
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*Madonna - 'The Immaculate Collection' *
My parents used to play this record ever while we did chores or got ready for breakfast together every Saturday morning. I love the melodic, pulsing electro-bass lines, the sparkling synths, the head-bobbing rhythms. It’s infectious.
This greatest-hits collection solidified my love of pop melody and pop music.
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*Lauryn Hill - 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill' *
The first time I heard 'To Zion', the emotional impact was sudden and irreversible. I was 12 or 13 years old, I think. I didn’t really understand the meaning behind the song, but I understood the feeling.
This music was so beautiful to me, and so joyful and so reverent, that it made me feel deeply melancholy. I couldn’t understand why and I still don’t exactly. But this entire record flirts with grief and loss, love and resentment, and resistance and resignation. It’s a masterpiece.
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'Giver Taker' will be released on September 18th.
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