anna - systems breaking down
absolute classic early 80s female-led synth dirge by the mysterious Anna. File under spookiness like "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin, or "Faith"-era Cure. Note the killer outro, with wild drum fills and background screaming, everything melting like a comet descending into the ocean. Anna sings lines like "Wish my boyfriend stayed around...I think my system's breaking down," the whole thing expressing psychic turmoil, metropolitan alienation, shadows in the neon wilderness, empty streets in the dead of night, the faces of passersby like blood-drained specters. Also a tinge of intense hysteria like in Polanski's "Repulsion." Included here is also the dope tech-ed up dub version, where you hear a quiet child's voice, like some lost guardian angel, imploring "don't cry anna..."
