FIVE FAVOURITES: Anna B Savage

Inspired by her reflections on the human condition and all its idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies, Anna B Savage‘s latest album, In|FLUX, is a poetic, cathartic piece of songwriting. Finding peace in the grey areas of life and accepting that change is an inevitable part of it, the British musician has crafted an intricate and emotive collection of songs that compliment the raw honesty she expressed on her debut album, A Common Turn (2021).

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Anna to ask about her “Five Favourites” – five albums that have inspired her song-writing techniques. Check out her choices below and listen to her new album, in|FLUX, here.

 

1. Ella Fitzgerald – The Best of the Song Book
The best vocalist in the world, ever, bar none. I have listened to this album over a thousand times and tried to emulate every moment, every run, every breath. I have written a lot about how much I love Ella, and this album was the one for me. Also, Gershwins! They wrote the most perfect songs in the world.

2. Nat King Cole – Unforgettable
This is one of the most important albums to me because it reminds me of my family. I remember we would go to France each summer because my parents would be singing in a festival there – we’d listen to it on car journeys, and in the house we were staying in, and when we got home and… all the time. We each have a certain ‘moment’ we always do when listening, almost like the call-outs in Rocky Horror that those who’ve been in the crowd loads know, but for this album. One of my first memories is listening to this album and dancing around the kitchen.

3. The Beatles – Revolver
I saw a tweet the other day which said that people who say Revolver is their favourite Beatles album are try hards (or something- I’m paraphrasing terribly). It had a lot of likes. Well, whoops – I’ve outed myself again (see my writing about Coldplay’s Parachutes for more of me being resolutely not cool). This album is another important family album: with parents who mostly listen to classical music it was always such a joy when we got to listen to Revolver.

4. Notting Hill Soundtrack
I feel like the way I learned a lot of music when I was younger was through movie soundtracks. This was the first one that I obsessed over – finding a gateway in to Al Green and Bill Withers through this. I spent hours and hours listening to ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ (the Bill Withers version) and trying to do the “I know” section in just one breath.

5. Bridget Jones’ Diary Soundtrack
Banger after banger on this, and again was my entry point to so many people especially huge female vocalists and musicians. Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Sheryl Crow, what an education!

Thanks to Anna for sharing her favourite albums with us.

Watch the video for her single ‘Pavlov’s Dog’ below.

Listen to in|FLUX on bandcamp or Spotify

Follow Anna B Savage on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

 

Photo Credit: Katie Silvester

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ALBUM: Anna B Savage – ‘A Common Turn’

An exquisite unravelling of the self, layered with melancholy, joy and wit; Anna B Savage‘s debut album A Common Turn is a compelling collection of deftly crafted songs that enrapture the ears. The London-born, Dublin-based songwriter has channelled her feelings of grief and insecurity into a confident and cohesive record, cauterizing the emotional wounds of her past and taking charge of her future.

Released via City Slang and produced by William Doyle, Savage’s debut LP is a raw yet polished affair that brims with her eccentric observations about love, growth, working “really fucking hard” and her admiration of birds. Having had a fascination with them since childhood, Savage uses them as a visual motif throughout the record, their recurrence acting as warnings, epiphanies or reassurances that eloquently shift Savage’s narrative perspective.

The skittish, evocative opener ‘A Steady Warmth’ bleeds into the congenial acoustic guitar strums on ‘Corncrakes’, her confessional lyrics bringing her vivid inner monologue to life. Savage admits she doesn’t “feel things as keenly” anymore and struggles to break relatable bad habits: “I want to text you / but it’d mean I’d thought about you.” Her willingness to explore this rocky emotional territory is epitomised on ‘Dead Pursuit’.

An affecting, defiant ballad that sees her tear herself “limb from limb”, Savage penned this track whilst grappling with imposter syndrome after the success of her 2015 debut EP, which caught the attention of Father John Misty and Jenny Hval, who she went on to tour with. It’s humbling to hear Savage lay her insecurities bare and comforting to see her desires for quick fixes – “I’m dying my hair and cutting out sugar” – didn’t stop her from fleshing out the sounds on her beguiling debut record.

The urgent line “I want us to thrive” is delivered with deft conviction on ‘BedStuy’, whilst the serendipitous creation of ‘Baby Grand’ and its forthcoming accompanying short film – which Anna worked on with ex-partner Jem Talbot – is “an exploration of the how and why some people just crawl into your heart and make a home there.” She displays the sheer power of her vocal range on ‘Two’. Raw guitar twangs and unexpected jagged electronics punctuate the track, as Savage sits in pensive reflection in her childhood bedroom, fearing she will “never amount to anything.” She lets the walls echo her doubts back at her, pushing her emotional resilience to the limit.

The album’s title track ‘A Common Tern’ is a brooding exploration of Savage’s need to be free from the shackles of a pernicious romantic relationship. The track shares its name with a seabird, the sight of which prompted Savage to re-think her relationship while on a fishing trip with her ex. These startling moments of realisation are tentatively placed throughout the record, with following track ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ showing listeners just how empowering a break from your past can be. It’s an intense, exquisite celebration of female pleasure and how Savage has learned to dismiss the damaging tropes associated with it. Fans of Leonard Cohen will be familiar with the opening lyric – “He was giving me head on my unmade bed” – as it’s paraphrased from Cohen’s track ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’. Savage subverts Cohen’s storytelling, re-writing the narrative to rid herself of shame and confusion. When she sings “I will learn to take care of myself” it’s with genuine, unfaltering conviction.

Savage’s lyrics continue to ripple with an earnest beauty on ‘Hotel’. The image of the red foam left in her bloodied mouth after vigorously brushing her teeth is strikingly poetic. “I turn the big lights off / I put my headphones in” she sings, indirectly instructing listeners the best way in which to let her sounds sink into their consciousness. The stripped back, bare nature of closing track ‘One’ is a potent wish to be “strong and fine.” “Jesus I’m too insecure for this / for him to undress me then take the piss” Savage exhales, grappling with emotional sore spots and physical unease with ones self. She handles shame and melancholy with impressive tact and sensitivity, healing open wounds by confronting her vulnerabilities head on.

“For me, ‘a common turn’ is those moments of decision where you think ‘I’m not taking this anymore,” Savage explains about the title of her record. “Whether it’s the way someone else is treating you, or the what you’re treating yourself.” Her poetic refusal to be erased by the pain of her own experiences is what makes listening to A Common Turn so compelling. Savage’s patient, captivating sounds traverse intensely personal terrain, and what a privilege it is to be allowed into this vast, wildly honest territory of hers.

Listen to A Common Turn on bandcamp or Spotify

Follow Anna B Savage on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook for more updates

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Anna B Savage – ‘A Common Tern’

A smouldering rumination on escaping an unhealthy relationship, London-based songwriter Anna B Savage has shared her latest single, ‘A Common Tern’. Lifted from her debut album titled A Common Turn, which is set for release on 29th January 2021 via City Slang, the track is a brooding exploration of Savage’s need to free herself from the shackles of a pernicious relationship with a former partner, and with herself.

The single shares its name with a seabird, the sight of which prompted Savage to re-think her relationship while on a fishing trip with her ex. She explains this further: “When I saw the terns, I was pretty amazed: they really did seem like they were just suspended, dangling on the bottom of a thread. Something about that seeming captivity, being on the end of an invisible line, then breaking free. They were at once familiar and yet so strange and weird. I don’t think I entirely grasped the relevance while I was writing it, but now it seems very, very frickin’ obvious.”

“I spent a year and a half after the tern incident trying to extricate myself from the relationship, bit by bit, section by section. It was fucking hard work, and I did do a lot of apologising. For me, a common turn means the common moment where you decide you just don’t/can’t love someone any more, and there’s nothing any of you can do about it.”

Savage’s ability to carve beguiling soundscapes from her intensely personal, often painful experiences is what makes her music so compelling. Watch the video for ‘A Common Tern’ below and follow Anna B Savage on bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Anna B Savage – ‘Dead Pursuit’

Tentative guitars, revealing lyrics and heartfelt vocals permeate ‘Dead Pursuit’, the latest single from London-based songwriter Anna B Savage. Taken from her upcoming album which is set for release later this year, the track is an affecting, defiant ballad that sees the artist tear herself “limb from limb”.

Savage penned ‘Dead Pursuit’ whilst grappling with imposter syndrome after the success of her 2015 debut EP, which caught the attention of Father John Misty and Jenny Hval, both of whom gave Savage support slots on their sold out tours. It’s humbling to hear Savage lay her insecurities bare on ‘Dead Pursuit’, and comforting to know they haven’t stopped from from creating her beguiling sounds.

The track is accompanied by a hand-drawn animated video by the artist Carolina Aguirre. “I’ve been a fan of Carolina’s style and output for many, many years” Savage explains. “When she sent me the treatment for this video I cried. Her allegorical tale so perfectly expresses that feeling of a loss of confidence, and a questioning of identity. I feel an incredible amount of catharsis to have made something so beautiful and emotive from such a low point, and for that song to have prompted such an incredible, affecting visual companion.”

Watch the video for ‘Dead Pursuits’ below and follow Anna B Savage on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment