Antony of Antony and the Johnsons has created a more than worthy followup to his wonderful I Am A Bird Now. This new album is called The Crying Light, and it is as hauntingly gorgeous as anything else Antony has put out.
On The Crying Light there are some beautifully unexpected moments and, as always, a lot of vocal vibrato. Through it all, we glimpse Earth though the eyes of a keen observer of the natural world, who penetratingly sees both its agony
and ecstacy. Strings abound on the first track "Everglade," while the second song "Epilepsy is Dancing" is delicate and features guitar and wind instruments. "Aeon" is an awesomely gorgeous torch song and plea dedicated to the universe and its eternity. One of the record's centerpieces, "Another World" (also included on this past fall's ep Another World), longs for a place beyond our planet, a place that is not so limiting and broken. There's a quite a bit of sonic variation for someone who has been so critically defined merely by the timbre of his voice. No doubt, that voice is there in all its smoky, vibrating glory. It blankets every track in its special, warm glow. The release, the silences, the showiness of it all is just perfection. But the music that flows through this album is just as glorious as the otherwordly vocals.
On The Crying Light there are some beautifully unexpected moments and, as always, a lot of vocal vibrato. Through it all, we glimpse Earth though the eyes of a keen observer of the natural world, who penetratingly sees both its agony
different, absorbingly evocative element to the song, creating an almost hymn like sound, and I'm always most pleased with Antony's work when he just accompanies himself with an acoustic piano.