Anni Hogan Leaves the Moon Behind
Sometimes it’s great for an artist to step back and simply marvel at the breadth of the work they’ve created over the course of their career. For Anni Hogan, her double-30th birthday is the perfect opportunity. To celebrate, she has collected together six songs for a new EP entitled ‘Without The Moon’.
Image Credit: Mike Morton.
It’s not the first time we’ve written about Ann Margaret Hogan in 2021. Back in June we wrote about her latest album, a journey through the history of the Wirral Coast called ‘Funeral Cargo’. While that record focuses on Hogan’s intimate grand piano performances in her own Studio Blue with added field recordings, ‘Without The Moon’ is something else.
This new compilation, released on Downwards Records, sources material from many avenues of Hogan’s career. As well as music from her solo EP ‘Annie Hogan Plays “Kickabye”’ from 1985, there are more tracks from the same era, from the late 1980’s and from the new millennium. Despite multiple recording set-ups, changes in musical styles, various collaborators and musicians, ‘Without The Moon’ is held together by a single idea - drop the needle on this record after dark…
‘I fed Vixo on every fear and fret and phobia.’
Torn from the pages of a horror novel, the opening track to Without The Moon stars Nick Cave almost as a Mad Professor character that lives with, nurtures and feeds a creature he calls ‘Vixo’. Originally the closing piece on Annie Hogan Plays ‘Kickabye’, the narrative is driven by the low rumble of Hogan’s grand piano performance.
‘My perfect murder machine…’
With the music written and arranged by Anni, this slow blues piece is heightened by the ever-present wail of harmonica from Budgie, long-time drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees. His drum performance here is like a heartbeat running through the conjured imagery, a smoky swampland littered with bones and lost souls. Billy McGee adds double bass without interfering with Anni Hogan’s dark and lingering piano line. Marc and the Mambas string players Gini Ball on violin with Audrey Riley and Martin McCarrick both on cello add descending pizzicato runs like waterdrops from a beyond repair leaky ceiling.
‘What- What- What kept ya? What kept ya? You get trouble? Something go wrong, huh?’
Recorded around the same time as the first Bad Seeds record in October 1983, the words to Vixo are so descriptive - they themselves read like you’re a fly on the wall in Nick Cave’s imagination. His expressive voice, occasionally even echoing his own parts to one side, is the perfect counterweight to Anni Hogan’s quietly stalking performance. The atmospheric effects recorded by the team, with engineering by Richard Preston, sound at times like a body heaving itself out of a hole, breathing hot air and if you listen closely, you can even smell the stench of Vixo himself.
Fast forward to February 1985 in an experimental session with Hogan and Gini Ball called ‘Delirious Eyes’. First appearing on the expanded CD release of ‘Kickabye’ in 2009, the delayed vocals and violin performance are Ball’s, while the writing and the bulk of the instrumentation is Anni Hogan’s.
Though this track is littered with guitar samples that skim and flit around the sonic-sphere, it’s Anni’s piano playing upfront that really tells the musical story of Delirious Eyes. The drums ride on the piano’s rhythm and remind me of Maureen Tucker’s metronome-esque playing on early material by The Velvet Underground. Building on the central piano idea, Hogan’s production and instruction to engineer Charles Gray makes Delirious Eyes a tripped-out experiment, and now the perfect instrumental bridge between Vixo and our next night-time adventure…
‘You trip and I fall, with my feet grounded I fall, every time I take a step and when I stand still I fall.’
And now we have an Annie Hogan Plays ‘Kickabye’ track, with a sinister twist. The ‘Foetus Drum Version’ of ‘Burning Boats’ was a special mix of the same recording prepared by producer JG Thirlwell in October 1983 that sat unused until Hogan’s 2009 Kickabye CD release. To me, it’s the definitive telling of this song, a severe lyric penned by Jessamy Calkin, with music written around it and arranged by Anni Hogan.
All the components of this song are simply inseparable, everybody’s contributions are vital to its relentless and energetic mood. Beginning with Hogan’s deep rhythmic piano, while the driving force of drums is shared between Stephen Humphries on the kit and Thirlwell credited with playing the ‘chair’. Billy McGee on double bass rides up the strings, bringing a different rhythm from everybody else entirely. The Mambas string players return to embellish Burning Boats in the same roles as with Vixo, but unlike Vixo, their capacity here is vastly increased. It’s their panoramic interpretation of Anni Hogan’s arrangement that sets the stage for her chosen lead vocalist on this track.
Soft Cell and Mambas frontman Marc Almond is the icing on the black cake for Burning Boats. In his role of Raoul Revere, he doesn’t simply give Jessamy Calkin’s words a voice, but inhabits the lyric and spits it in the face of the antagonist over the song’s six minutes. ‘You risk nothing, you risk nothing!’ Together, the accents on the drums, piano and strings are the hammer Anni Hogan uses to strike Calkin’s victim, propelling Almond’s devastating vocal delivery like a spike into the heart of their worst enemy.
As well as the brilliant performances of Hogan’s assembled musicians and Thirlwell’s enigmatic mix, credit must also be given to Veronica Vasicka for her mastering. I recommend playing the Foetus Drum Version loud on a decent stereo to properly appreciate the fidelity of the string arrangement and the monumental tour de force this mix truly is.
Opening Side 2 of Without The Moon is a collaboration between Anni Hogan and Jarboe, former vocalist and keyboardist for New York band Swans. Contrary to Burning Boats, ‘Scattered Carelessly’ is beautiful in its bare arrangement of piano and vocal. Recorded in 2008 with the Atlantic Ocean separating them, Hogan performed grand piano in her Studio Blue, whilst Jarboe’s vocal was laid down in Georgia, U.S.A.
Subtitled as being ‘for Diane’, Jarboe’s vocal is delicate and carefully considered, speaking so closely and personally, you feel as if she’s sat beside you. All the power is in Jarboe not raising her voice, as is Anni Hogan’s comforting chord selection, using the spaces between the notes just as much as the notes themselves to enhance the scene they set together. Scattered Carelessly was resurrected in 2021 with production and mixing undertaken by Hogan in her Studio Blue especially for this release.
‘Black Nocturne’ is completely new for Without The Moon. Here, Anni Hogan collaborates with Kid Congo Powers, who was a member of The Cramps at the start of the 1980’s and joined Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds later that decade. Crossing the Atlantic once again, Hogan recorded piano at Studio Blue while Kid Congo Powers recorded his guitar part in Arizona earlier this year.
On Without The Moon, Black Nocturne is most representative of Ann Margaret Hogan’s career as it stands today. Her piano performance is a mixture of subtle jazz chords, melancholic and encompassing of an entire mood. As well as this, Hogan’s use of field recordings here echoes her work on her latest album ‘Funeral Cargo’, using her local environment to put you in the location it was recorded in.
The guitar work by Kid Congo Powers adds another element to the proceedings that sets it apart from Funeral Cargo. His recording is not simply strumming along to the chords as laid out by Hogan. The shimmering effect he uses that requires minimal picking action drives it much further than if his performance were left dry. It’s this intriguing sound and intermittent use of percussion in Hogan’s production that makes you wonder where the inspiration for a piece like this could’ve come from.
‘Come take my hand, and we’ll fly away…’
One of the things I’m learning as I explore Anni Hogan’s career is her versatility. Placed side-by-side, Black Nocturne is quite unlike Without The Moon’s final track, the previously unreleased ‘Come Take My Hand’. Recorded in 1989 with Barry Adamson and engineer Paul “PK” Kendall and lying unheard on a DAT for thirty years, the most striking part of this track is that Anni Hogan performs a rare lead vocal on this more conventional pop song.
With Adamson utilising samplers and playing bass guitar, Hogan is the sole writer and arranger of Come Take My Hand as well as playing piano and keyboards. Despite the more 1980’s-locked sound, you can still hear the timeless way in which Ann arranges the track. Straight away the opening keyboards could be reinterpreted with an orchestral flavour, some strings and vibraphone. Indeed, it reminds me of Brian Wilson’s debut solo album from 1988 where orchestral sounds are played in a more contemporary way with synthesizers and samplers. The accessible approach to Come Take My Hand means it could’ve appealed to the pop sound of the time, while raising the ear of the more learned musician. With Anni Hogan exploring her archive in recent years, this song is worth the price of admission alone.
Has there ever been a more dynamic way to celebrate a double-30th birthday? Read on for our Q&A with Ann Margaret Hogan where we discuss each of the EP’s six tracks, photography with Mike Morton, plus we explore her early influence from The Velvet Underground. All this and more below!
Image Credit: Mike Morton.
1. Your latest release is a compilation in celebration of your double-30th birthday, what was the first track you knew you absolutely had to have on 'Without The Moon'?
Hi Teri, thanks for the questions and also for the support! It is appreciated. Burning Boats ft Marc Almond and JG Thirlwell - Foetus Drum Version, remastered by Veronica Vasicka in New York.
Innovative, intense and incredible. ‘FDV’ has never been released on vinyl and is improved sonically with modern mastering from Veronica. I distinctly remember being enthralled in the studio by JG Thirlwell’s inspirational live mix at Wave in ‘85 with sound engineer Charlie Gray (rip). It was like an Olympic mixing final or something, each took a side of the desk and they went for it full on! It was a fantastic experience and it has remained vividly stored in my memory box. We initially recorded at Alvic in October ‘83, Richard Preston engineering. Marc delivered a thrilling elemental vocal performance ripping through the darkness seeping from Jessamy Calkin’s lyric, the music and vocal flying together presto ‘bruise every time you bleed’. Our mini orchestra, me laying down first on piano, vicious strings from Billy on double bass, Gini on violin and Martin and Audrey on cello, JG’s endless toms and Stephen battering away on the kit. Epic. A huge highlight from my personal archive and perspective. Absolute must for the double 30th!
2. Nick Cave's vocal on 'Vixo' is brimming with character, what was that recording session like?
This also had to be on the record!
In October ‘83 at the 16 track Alvic studio situated near Barons Court the session was experimental, inspiring, moody and more than a little magical. Certainly improvised and all came together pretty quickly over 2 days. Nick was focused in the moment, even to the extent of rewriting the lyric literally up until recording his vocals. Anita Lane was also there, laid back, fully hooked in, inherent with ideas for the record. It was exciting and a great meeting of minds and musical ‘wires’. Various Mambas helped make the track so phenomenal, Billy McGee on double bass and Gini’s violin and Martin McCarrick and Audrey Riley on their cellos. Budgie from the Banshees stayed late night and added brushed drums and harmonica. Everyone played to my piano as I laid down my part first, a little loose and improvised as it was written then and there around a few repeating chords. Budgie added the extra sensorial textures the track needed to really fire up fully and Nick was truly fantastic. It was pretty awesome when I think back to him performing the vocals and howls adding his own harmonica lines but they were then switched backwards and sounded guttural, wolf-like. Richard experimented with various effects until Nick was satisfied and the song's atmosphere or climate was created surrounding and enhancing the narrative. Close your eyes and you’re lost in the story, deep in the woods, wrestling inner demons.
A cinematic vision was created. It was one hell of a session.
3. Anita Lane named your EP 'Kickabye', were there other titles you were contemplating using before that one?
No, Annie Hogan Plays ‘Kickabye’ named whilst recording one of the songs I performed on the original EP, ‘The Executioner’s Song’, lyric by Jessamy Calkin. Jessamy, Anita and Nick were there for moral support. Anita suggested Kickabye, she said my music was a bit like lullabies with kicks and bruises. It is such a brilliant title, unique and awesome like Anita, rest in peace.
4. You often laid down a basic piano track at the beginning of each recording session. How did musicians react to accompanying a piano part rather than a drum or programmed track?
Well we were all experimenting back then so it was fine, normal. I always drive if the track allows and especially if I have written it. It’s all about the feel and that’s the most important factor for me on these sorts of pieces. Luckily enough everyone I worked with was a genius so they could attach and ride with my flow.
5. You reference The Velvet Underground a lot in relation to your work in the early 1980's which I can particularly hear in 'Delirious Eyes', was a lot of that performance with Gini Ball improvised?
Yes it was all improvised, a late night session with Charlie engineering. We just had fun around a vibe, sort of Eastern and Spanish flavours. Gini offered her many talents generously, violin + viola and vocals all performed brilliantly when she was very tired and we had been playing on another track all day. I was smoking trippy grass and very enthusiastic and inspired. We vibed off each other and the track came together and sounded pretty cool and hypnotic verging on psychedelic after Charlie added tons of delays and verbs. It’s one of my favourites from back in the day.
6. Every fan of The Velvet Underground has a favourite period of theirs, what's yours?
The Velvet Underground & Nico was my initiation into the Underground sound and it’s still my favourite. I too ‘began to see the light’, playing them out live and just immersing in the tripped out experimental vibes. I was obsessed and inspired with the simplicity, coolness, look, shades, Warhol’s Factory, Mo, Lou, Nico and Morrison, Cale’s imaginative musicianship & compelling musical textures, fragile minimalism colliding with wild and dissolute experimenting, a heady intoxicating mix. I do love White Light White Heat, rough and loud in comparison to their ‘67 debut, it sounded/sounds like a climate of chaos inscribed with twisted feedback and tripped out tonal processions, John Cale’s influence sifting through sonic spells from the creative debris. I loved it/love it and DJ’d many tracks out.
The live 1969 album also blew my mind, What Goes On is my favourite track and I still draw influence from Yule’s Vox Continental playing when I’m summoning the art rock psychedelic atmospheres. Back in 1984 on ‘Joey Demento’ a track with Marc Almond, my distorted Farfisa organ performance was heavily riding those signature Doug Yule ‘What Goes On’ waves. I still have my Batcave top 10 from Record Mirror 1983 and What Goes On is the no 1.
I have some fondness for Loaded, Sweet Jane and Who Loves The Sun, my personal favourites.
Image courtesy of Ann Margaret Hogan.
7. In the late 80's, you recorded with Nico as part of Marc Almond's 'The Stars We Are' album. How did that come about? Was there a 'pinch me' moment with her in the studio?
I believe the record label set it up. It was a strange-beauty experience. Beautiful as Nico, the ‘NICO’ from my favourite Fellini La Dolce Vita, from the Velvets and from all those albums I played and DJ’d, so it was huge and pretty awesome! It was also very strange and a bit dark. Billy McGee and I cried and even laughed during and straight after the session just to cope with the visceral intensity. It was surreal, Nico was time travelling between the Velvets and us, she was a little bewildered, confused even and kept thinking I was Mo Tucker and Marc was Lou. Then she was back in the present and we were us. Despite a few difficult timing moments and the usual kinks that come with these types of stressful studio scenarios, Nico sounded fantastic and the track is a testament to her and Marc and Billy’s fabulous arrangement. It’s controlled chaos and I think it works like that.
8. The energy in the Foetus Drum Mix of 'Burning Boats' is unreal. How did you pull all that musical madness from Jessamy Calkin's lyric?
It was a combined effort of suspended musical artistry and explosive talent :) Marc’s vocal providing the black cherry on the top. JG Foetus’ fearsome live mix with Charlie at Wave really flipped the sonics to another Universe. Everyone played brilliantly and obviously the initial frantic repeating piano part, the basic track, ignited the fires! Jessamy’s lyric released the demon genies in all of us on that piece.
9. Then there's Marc Almond's performance which is off the chart. Did you ever perform this track live together? Could you see yourself writing and performing music like this now?
I think we did it live a couple of times, stripped down though. Could I see myself writing and performing like this now…
In a way yes of course, as it’s part of my own musical history and experience and I developed my own intricate writing style and technique through improvisation from these types of essential experimental studio sessions. In another way no, as it’s a major embryonic first time experience in my musical arc and so by definition it’s impossible to replicate as satisfyingly and innovatively. Much like a first lsd trip or similar, nothing can ever be the same again and there is no repeating the wonder of that primo adventure. Burning Boats, Vixo and Kickabye defined a moment in the Universe when a lot of stars aligned for me and inspired and enabled my talent and creativity in new and exciting ways.
Marc Almond and Anni Hogan at the Batcave, 1983. Image Credit: Mick Mercer.
10. The Mamba strings on some of these tracks were performed according to your keyboard arrangements. Did you record your keyboard arrangements first to hear how they'd sound with the track? Or were these parts written down and interpreted by the players without guide tracks?
No it was much more radical and in the moment. I played the piano arrangement and the strings followed my melodies and rhythms enhancing the music sonically and emotionally, arranging their parts in real time. It was all done then and there based around my piano. But these guys were and are super talented and understood perfectly what we were aiming for and how to achieve it.
11. 'Scattered Carelessly' is so beautiful in its fragility, did you ever consider adding more instrumentation to that track?
Yes isn’t it just divine. I adore Jarboe’s vocal and lyric and artistry on this piece. We first wrote and recorded it sometime back in 2008 I think. We recorded remotely, me here in Studio Blue and Jarboe in the States.
I did do an alternate electro-acoustic version with Scanner producing which was released in 2016 but I always wanted to return it to its original form and ‘fragility’ as you say, and so the Moon LP release gave me the perfect opportunity to do just that and return it to its beautifully stark bared bones, achieved this year in my own studio, both Jarboe and I are really pleased with the results.
12. 'Black Nocturne' is such a cinematic piece. As with your recent work, were the field recordings used here made local to you?
Yes they were recorded on the aptly almost Lynchian named ‘Cleaver Heath’ on the River Dee side of the Wirral Peninsula coast. It’s a nature reserve and haven for local wildlife, flora and fauna. It’s a fave dog walk with an abundant natural soundtrack plus la bella vista.
I sent only the piano to Kid Congo and he responded with such a sensitive and filmic guitar, adding a wider silver screen with every note played. When I heard what we sounded like together, I added a morning’s recording on Cleaver Heath just to enhance the ambience already lingering in the heat of the music. A very satisfying and lovely tonal and emotional experience. Kid is the kindest guy, giving as an artist, and a truly loving and loved member of my music family.
13. It's so great to hear your voice on 'Come Take My Hand', what kept that from being released when it was made?
Thanks very much. Circumstances, negativity, the usual suspects at the time meant I did not commit to singing back then. In the end we make our own choices and sometimes they are not always the best decisions. Working with Barry Adamson and Paul Kendall and recording at Mute was such a great experience. I am really pleased it’s breathing a little air now.
14. The artwork for 'Without The Moon' has a couple of photographs of you from the 1980's, where were those taken?
I did a lot of sessions with Mike Morton back in the mid 80’s and he always framed me in a wonderful setting and captured my image so beautifully, I am grateful to him for all those cool shots. Mike did tell me recently that I was a perfect model back then. … I’m just leaving that out there :) The Moon pics are at a climbing frame on Ealing Common on a cold Winter’s morning in ‘85
15. What does the rest of the year hold? Have you been writing this summer?
I’m always writing, that’s a day to day given. I’m pleased to have written a track with gorgeous Thomas Cohen under his ‘Sylph’ project which will be released on Mute later this year. It sounds fantastic! Right in front of me today I have new music to think about including a big Downwards project waiting for my immediate attention, I just can’t quite tear myself away from the sun, the piano waits patiently, I can see her from my sunny spot in the garden. Lento lento …
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Purchase a vinyl copy of ‘Without The Moon’ (one of 500!) on the Boomkat website. Every copy comes with a digital download.
Further explore the music of Ann Margaret Hogan on her Bandcamp page with all music in your choice of digital download formats.
Follow Anni Hogan on Facebook @annihoganofficial, Instagram @annihogan61 and Twitter @anni61hogan.
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