It’s been a shockingly good decade to be a fan of Laurie Anderson and ANOHNI. The former’s installation The Weather was the talk of the contemporary art world for a good minute back in 2021, and the latter’s 2023 comeback record My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross was easily one of the finest records of the year.
Now, these two long-standing legends of the avant-pop world collide for “India And On Down To Australia,” a chapter in Laurie Anderson’s Amelia, her first studio album since 2010. As the title suggests, it’s a concept album detailing the tragic flight of Amelia Earhart, but this single is surprisingly optimistic. Anderson, singing through that same vocoder that she’s been using since the 80s (and I wouldn’t have it any other way), plainly details a pitstop in Calcutta. It’s a fascinating travelog set to a massive orchestra, ending with the foreboding detail, “shipped the parachutes home today / shouldn’t need them anymore / not over the open ocean / where there’s no place to land.”
Amelia is out August 30th; stream “India And On Down To Australia” here.