The Lonely Cry of Space and Time – Anna Coogan (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Anna Coogan’s songs cover a lot of ground both musically and lyrically. And whilst her alternative takes on a mercurial blend of pop, rock and indie result in some wonderfully drifting and cinematic music, in shifting dynamics that wander from the pastoral and slight to the driven and euphoric, it is the poeticism and subject matter which is often the more fascinating. A rare skill indeed. Great as the music is, and I assure you it is, Anna’s scientific interests and questioning mind results in lyrical journeys unlike any other artist I can think of.
Inspirations abound from black and white Russian sci-fi films, past relative’s involvement in the discovery of gravitational waves, Puccini, Sylvia Plath and French horror films as well as more recent topics such as the 2016 American election and the unrest in the Middle East.

And those aware of her previous acoustic Americana sound will find a whole different musical landscape being explored here. Strange sonic threads of gothic suspense, of shifting and evolving song structures, P J Harvey style dystopian guitar lines and warped dream pop all wander through the songs and the result is something unique, thematic and for all its disparate elements strangely consistent and cohesive.

The result is a record which is switched on and questioning without resorting to being stuffy and academic, which breaks out of conventional styles without becoming too challenging but above all is filled with compassion and if there is one thing that the world needs tight now….