Anni Rossi is one of those artists I have no idea how I know, but I’m glad I do. She first magically materialized in my iTunes with her robotic rendering of Rude Boy, a cover of Rhianna. Rossi herself is a violinist and vocalist, but she often bleeps and bloops her way into the realm of electronic music. These forays into lo-fi often yield songs that are eerie in their detached, simple beauty. Rossi is at her best when she sticks to her strings, though.
She has a very distinct voice, innocent with glints of insanity. In sudden, brave jumps to her upper register, Rossi displays her amazing control—and her blatant disregard for normal melodies. Her voice is memorable, and moving, especially when its erratic recklessness catches her string-driven instrumental.
In the song above, Rossi rages against with her visceral vocal chords. She sings of “Swinging crazily like a stock exchange,” “Flinging ice and snow like little kids.” All the while, her voice dips and dives as if a mind on its own. In so doing, she reminds us that “We will still have our feet,” our eyes, our hair, our skin—and that we “Can’t buy these impulses from a machine.”
