Formed in New York City in the late-1990s, experimental art-pop ensemble ANOHI and The Johnsons formed around the creative nucleus of British-American singer/songwriter Anohni Hegarty (stylized as ANOHNI). The group first turned heads with their acclaimed second studio release I Am a Bird Now, released through the independent label Secretly Canadian in February 2005. The album went on to chart in the UK top-20 and win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize later that year.

Produced by Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Sia, KT Tunstall, etc), the group’s fifth and latest studio album–My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross–hit shelves in July 2023. Whereas ANOHNI’s 2016 solo album HOPELESSNESS took on a more experimental electronic quality, this new release marks a welcome return to the singer’s R&B/Soul roots.

In a first for the band, My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross is available in both traditional two-channel stereo and Dolby Atmos. Though the Atmos mix has been available to stream since 2023, we at IAA are thrilled to now offer the album as an exclusive immersive digital download through our online shop!

Jimmy Hogarth has done an excellent job on the immersive mix, making full use of the three-dimensional space to invite the listener inside the album. For the slow-burn opening track “It Must Change,” core instrumentation such as the rhythm section and lead guitar appears largely upfront while additional elements like the percussion and strings gradually creep in from behind. ANOHNI’s distinctive vocals are spread across all three front speakers, rather than residing solely in the center channel.

Distorted guitar spans the left side of the room for “Go Ahead,” with it’s feedback swirling all around the listener to very cool effect. The opening guitar line to “Sliver Of Ice” hovers just left-of-center, quickly giving way to ANOHNI’s mournful vocal from the front stage. Double-tracked harmonies on key phrases (“for the first time in my life,” “sweep the vista,” etc) appear directly behind the listener, hovering between the rear and rear height speakers.

Following the powerful room-filling “Can’t,” rhythm guitar floats towards the right side speaker for the contemplative “Scapegoat.” After the big keyboard swell at around the two-minute mark, more double-tracked vocals and guitars suddenly appear behind the listener. “It’s My Fault” again locks the vocal and guitar upfront, with orchestration subtly rising from the side speakers into the height array.

Guitar from the left side in “Why Am I Live Now?” is quickly countered by piano off to the right, while congas emanate largely from the front right height speaker and cavernous reverb floats above the listener. The closing track “You Be Free” is another standout, with the harmony vocals positioned mostly above the listener to spine-chilling effect.

Immersive Audio Album offers immersive digital downloads in the lossless Dolby TrueHD format. While streaming services offer convenience and access to a vast library of music, they also severely compress the audio to save bandwidth. With lossless TrueHD, the inner detail and sonic clarity is much better preserved for home listeners.

My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross is the ninth entry in an ongoing series of high-resolution digital immersive releases from IAA and Beggars Group, one of the world's largest and most-respected independent label groups. Beggars Group is home to 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade, XL Recordings and Young, as well as a growing publishing wing (Beggars Music) and a successful catalog imprint (Beggars Arkive).

Purchase My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross in the IAA Shop!

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