A jazz-sounding album with a twist

On their new studio album My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross, ANOHNI and the Johnsons explore the world of mellow jazz with flair. Throughout the record, the group maintains an original guitar sound while adding and subtracting rhythms and beats. Some of the songs speed up around the chords while others take a slower approach which makes for a very steady album that everyone can enjoy. 

The album starts off with the track “It Must Change” which is a great in-between point of some of the faster songs and some of the slower ones. We are introduced to the repeating guitar chords throughout the track with other instruments added on to give it that jazz flair. The album then moves into “Go Ahead,” which presents itself in the beginning as having some potential rock influence but quickly returns back to the original guitar beats 

The slower songs on the album include “Sliver Of Ice,” “There Wasn’t Enough” and the final tack on the record “You Be Free,” which incorporates the album’s name into the lyrics. “Sliver Of Ice” has the repeating lyrics “I love you so much more, never knew it before” which pairs very well with the repeated guitar chords and rather somber vibes. 

The song “Scapegoat” allows the listener to feel every speed and vibe that the album has to offer. The track starts off with the slower instrumentation and then later picks up to a faster jazz-sounding track. At its peak, it has an intense ethereal feel to it but then quickly is brought back down to the slower beats. 

“Rest” is a track that sounds a bit different than the rest of the album. The instrumentation gives the song a bit of an eerie sound that sets the song apart from the rest of the tracklist. The mysterious vibe of “Rest” is offset by the guitar chords and jazz touch that is added.  

Overall, this album offers a variety of different melodies surrounding one common chord progression, making it a very consistent yet always interesting album.