'But Her Emails', Anecdata Album Review

R E V I E W 
'But Her Emails...' album by Anecdata
by Ian Duggan

Like the migration of the wildebeest, an album release by Anecdata (formerly Radio Over Moscow) is typically a cyclical annual event, regular enough to set your clock to. Usually occurring soon after the annual ‘February Album Writing Month’ (FAWM), it has taken a while for this album to come out, delayed by a crisis at home; flooding of his apartment meant ex-Hamiltonian Dan Satherley and family had to live out of a hotel for several months, leading to his latest album taking a back seat for a time.

Anecdata songs commonly revolve around conspiracy theories, the supernatural and sci-fi. Commonly also educational, I always look forward to their release. The new album, ‘But Her Emails...’ differs from his past outputs, in that it has taken a political turn. A concept album, it was largely recorded between the election and inauguration of President Trump, and it is no wonder that events surrounding this have formed the central focus on this album.

Many of the songs begin with quotes sampled from Trump speeches, with the themes of the songs set from there. For example, the album starts with the infamous, “Grab ‘em by the…” quote, while the song ‘Never Clever Ever’ opens with his defence of his tiny hands. The album’s title, ‘But Her Emails…’ certainly reflects the albums content, referring to the controversy of Hillary Clinton using her private email server for official communications. A lot of the tracks focus on the more quirky stories revolving around post-election Trump, including a track called ‘Bowling Green Massacre’, alluding to the fictitious incident referenced by Kellyanne Conway in interviews, who cited it as justification for the travel and immigration ban to the USA from Muslim-majority countries. Some songs are even scarier though, such as ‘Waiting for Armageddon (Kamikaze Privateer)’; at this early stage, this song is my favourite musically off the album.

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​While conspiracy theories never go away, the political theme of this album may age this album in the longer-term, if it hasn’t already. It is unfortunate that the album took as long as it did to come out, as there has been plenty more fodder for song themes since its recording. Overall, ‘But Her Emails’ will give you a few hits, as well as plenty of the expected Anecdata myths.