This is simply a great album.
Anna Cordell, a Melbourne-based muso and custom tailor to the stars, has created a broad-reaching compilation of modern siren songs on her new LP, Nobody Knows Us. Cordell’s full-length debut was worth every second of the decade-long wait for her return to music – every indie-folk installation on this album is masterfully created, honed and produced.
Combining Big Thief chord progressions with Charlotte Gainsbourg vocals and Florence Welch witchcraft, this is a showstopper. The songs tend to blend together but not due to laziness or lack of insight; where many artists fail to confront their own trends, Cordell has isolated her signature sound and capitalised on the space it leaves for experimentation.
‘Lie Awake’ is the highlight as Cordell creates a tapestry of sound with her layered melodies. ‘The Soul’ is an easier listen than most others due to the classic folk guitar riffs and major key, but the more isolated vocals lose nothing of Cordell’s signature charm.
This album is consistent, rustic and raw; Cordell’s voice, though occasionally overpowered by the backing, is hypnotic. Her comeback to music seems to have not daunted Cordell in the slightest, which speaks volumes of her professional abilities as well as her pure talent. There’s little left to be said: this is simply and plainly a great album.