Anastasia Coope – ‘Darning Woman’ album review: endlessly inventive exploration of gender ideology
THE SKINNY: The construction of a debut album can be a pretty daunting task. Get it right, and you can establish yourself on the global music scene, amassing legions of dedicated listeners. On the other hand, if you get it wrong, your career can be over before it even starts. Thankfully, the debut record by New York-based musician, producer and artistic visionary Anastasia Coope adheres to the former, establishing both her uniquely ethereal and experimental compositions, as well as her penchant for profound lyricism.
With oversaturation rampant in the 21st century, eking out originality is increasingly challenging. However, from the very first track of Coope’s debut, Darning Woman, it becomes plainly clear that the songwriter is operating entirely by her own rules. As a result, the record sounds unlike anything else being recorded at the moment, so much so that any efforts to pin Darning Woman to one specific genre or musical style are both futile and stupid. The songwriter utilises an innovative layering technique to essentially create a choir of her own voice. The results are equal parts haunting and compelling.
Given the captivating quality of Coope’s one-woman choir, it can often be easy to negate the lyricism contained within Darning Woman, yet – if you listen – those lyrics speak to the sage nature of the New Yorker’s songwriting. Throughout the record, Coope delivers some incredibly emotional and affecting explorations of gender ideology, femininity and her own role within the modern world. In that sense, the album is something of a double threat thematically and musically.
Darning Woman certainly does not feel like a debut album. You could easily assume that Anastasia Coope had arrived at the sounds of this record after decades of honing her craft, exploring a vast array of musical avenues and collaborating with countless innovative musicians. The fact that this album is her first full-length effort is both impressive and unbelievable – and, if we’re being honest, it will make you feel somewhat embarrassed about your own achievements in life. Of course, the great thing about the fact that this is her first record is that Coope has the potential to build upon and develop these exciting sounds.
For fans of: Sitting with a glass of red wine, reading Violette Leduc novels by candlelight while soft jazz plays in the background.
A concluding comment from Ben’s mum: I can’t tell what she’s on about, to be honest. I prefer to get my musical explorations of femininity from the original sources: Kylie Minogue and Bananarama.
Darning Woman track-by-track:
Release Date: May 31st | Producer: Anastasia Coope | Label: Jagjaguwar
‘He is On His Way Home, We Don’t Live Together’: An unexpectedly psychedelic, ethereal album opener which sets the tone for an inventive yet often uncomfortable record. [3.5/5]
‘Women’s Role in War’: A haunting track which sees Coope layer her own voice over itself multiple times to create the effect of some strangely romantic and ghostly choir. [3.5/5]
‘What Doesn’t Work What Does’: This stipped-back track places the audience’s focus entirely upon the experimental, layered vocals and profound lyricism of Coope, with utterly stunning results. [4/5]
‘Darning Woman’: The album’s titular track is likely also its most accessible. While missing the same sense of innovative creativity featured thus far, Coope’s voice and lyrics remain as affecting and reflective as ever. [3/5]
‘Sounds of a Giddy Woman’: Coope’s vocal delivery on this is other-worldly, almost sounding like some space-age reimagining of Édith Piaf. The haunting, ghostly quality of earlier tracks returns with a vengeance. [3.5/5]
‘Woke Up and No Feet’: Arguably the stand-out track of the album. Her vocal performance is refreshingly understated here but backed up with the incredibly compelling rising intensity of her own layered choir. [4.5/5]
‘Sorghum’: Almost cinematic in quality, this track is perhaps the greatest exemplar of Coope’s unique and captivating vocal style. In addition to technical ability, however, she also asserts herself as a gifted songwriter, operating years ahead of her time. [4.5/5]
‘Newbie Time’: Given that many of the tracks on this record follow a similar path and style, it is pretty surprising that that distinct sound has not yet come to feel repetitive or stale. I suppose that speaks to the all-encompassing talents of Coope. [3.5/5]
‘Return to Room’: As we come to the end of the album, the only major disappointment has been the fact that Darning Woman is not longer. Nevertheless, the closing piece is among the strongest efforts from across the album, with the distant piano and saxophone track a welcome inclusion. [4.5/5]
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