We have never heard ‘There Is A War’ in such modern, electrifying aural settings. The keen reader will have certainly spotted Leonard Cohen’s timeless cut, the sort of evergreen diamond that gets continuously recycled into contemporary culture. Anana Kaye is the latest in a series of illustrious creatives to borrow Cohen’s sumptuous and wholesome songwriting, doing so with fresh ears and deeply eclectic allure. Hailing from Nashville, the American songstress is currently signed to Meridian (ECR Music Group), for which she released her previous single, ‘Cordelia’.
‘There Is A War’ picks up exactly where ‘Cordelia’ left off, anticipating the boundary-pushing yet catchy nature of Kaye’s artistry. ‘Are You There?’ is the project’s forthcoming album, a record that we suspect will earn Anana a sizeable audience. ‘There Is A War’ is central to that effort; wrapped in gloomy alt-pop production with hints of bold avant-garde textures, the piece translates familiar lyricism into new and hypnotic musical territories, evidence of how a song can truly be personalised and re-imagined, if one’s willing to do so.
Delving deeper into the ethos behind the single, Kaye explains: “Leonard Cohen’s songs, like all great songs, invite reinterpretation. I’ve heard several versions of ‘There Is a War’ recorded and performed by Cohen himself, but there never seemed to be a single definitive take, the way there often is with the Beatles, for example. What drew me in were the lyrics, the groove, and the urgency.”
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