The ethereal Autre Ne Veut (AKA Arthur Ashin) claims to be the"prince of flasehoods."
And perhaps you could be thrown off by the name, seeing as how this artsy musician doesn't hail from France. (He is from Brooklyn, New York.) But listen to the stirringly sexual R&B on his newest album, Anxiety, and all you hear is beautiful authenticity.
That's why we insist that you do not miss Autre Ne Veut when the one-man band kicks off a new string of tour dates with an emotionally charged performance at Bardot on Saturday, June 8.
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Of course, Anxiety isn't the artist's first release, but it is the most substantial in terms of hooks and lyrical content. And it seems the singer really opened up on this new record, hence the intense title.
"I have a master's in psychology, and depression and anxiety are considered to be cyclical," he told Pitchfork in a recent interview. "I always thought I was depressive, and I only recently realized that I have more of an anxiety disorder than chronic depression. The record deals with the last few years of my life: relationship anxiety, family anxiety, social anxiety."
Adding to all that anxiety, he caught some static when he put Edvard Munch's famous "The Scream" on the cover. Well, maybe he did. When it suddenly disappeared from Autre Ne Veut promotional materials, officials from his camp simply told Pitchfork: "The painting was stolen."
That's a lot of creepy feels, and the album is full of them. But Autre Ne Veut has a way of soothing those anxieties and turning them into a strange yet sensual soundtrack. In particular, the single "Play by Play" is a standout, love-making, dance-machine hit.
And hey, it's not unusual to find comfort in someone. Don't we all just want to run away from our problems into the arms of a beautiful lover? You can do just that (or at least dance those worries away in some kind of communal therapy) with Autre Ne Veut on the Bardot floor.
Autre Ne Veut. Saturday, June 8, at Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $18 to $20 plus fees via showclix.com. Ages 21 and up. Call 305-576-5570 or visit bardotmiami.com.
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