Singer/Songwriters / song-cabaret presents :

Antony & The Johnsons

CD (1998), MCD (1999), MCD (2000), MCD (2002), MCD (2004), CD (2005), CD (2008)

Secretly Canadian      Antony and the Johnsons (US,1998)****°

The first time I heard Antony’s voice it was like, WOW ! who the hell is this? I heard a song which had something of the earlier traditions in the long history of popular music, but with a refinement I have rarely heard before. Second time around when I heard Anthony’s voice, through his website, I was completely overwhelmed by the emotional richness. It’s not just the voice, it are also the songs which have something romantic, melancholic, as well as a life-force with a sensitive vision behind them. I like the painting-like cover in metal-blue colours. There is something hermafrodite in it which wasn’t necessary for me in the beauty of the picture, but which is part of Anthony’s personality and also the environment where Anthony’s started to sing (-he started singing in a tranvestite nightclub-). Here I had the thought that such vulnerable but also powerful emotionality could find a safe haven for expression. Just imagine some of these songs thrown into the plain world.. No-one, not even Anthony might be able to handle them. It was David Tibet from Current 93 who discovered his richness and took care of the first time release of this album on the World Serpent label.

With a string instruments accompaniment and drums & piano, the songs are in their form beautiful small theatre pieces with underlying deeper content, sometimes with the emotions much more hidden with an entertaining flavour. I especially like such accessible arrangements on the beautiful song "Cripple and the Starfish".  The texts contain very contrast-rich emotions which select in various ways, aspects of reality which many wouldn’t dare to come so close to. “Hitler in my heart” in that way still is a logical, but not exactly a self-evident choice, which people would understand so easily. I am reminded of a tarot-card that expresses love and any feelings of the heart, which are symbolised by a heart with swords cut through it. Deeper cutting pain and true love’s intentions, possibilities and evolutions perhaps go hand in hand. With one of my favourite songs, like most others, I feel my throat tickling. On "Atrocities" he says “God visits all lost souls. To survey the damage we noticed a bonfire in his eyes. He whispered “It’s the atrocities of your story”.” Religious symbols, from Hitler to Christ, create a metaphoric metaphysical state, to express the various feelings. “Rapture” is a bit gospel-like with its "blue(s)"-feeling. Technically one might here and there find a voice with some similar qualities, but combined with its full emotionality and content, Antony is much more unique.

Info : http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/ & http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/press/press.html

Soundfile : "Cripple and the Starfish"

Article : http://www.musicfolio.com/modernrock/antony_johnsons.html

& http://www.getunderground.com/underground/galleries/gallery.cfm?Album_ID=401

Review : http://www.brainwashed.com/weddle/reviews/antony.html

& http://www.cosmik.com/aa-march02/reviews/review_antony_and_the_johnsons.html

Label’s entry : http://www.secretlycanadian.com/secretlycanadian/catalog/sc104.htm

Rebis Music Antony and the Johnsons : I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy (US,2000)****°

This mini-CD is a perfect addition to the full CD, with something like a missing track on it, “I fell in Love with a dead boy”, (accompanied by piano and chamber orchestra). Almost confusing are the emotional end lines “are you a boy or a girl?” as something like “what do we need to do with that: are emotions possible to live on their own?” or something like that.. Second track, “Mysteries of Love”, is as beautifully sung as ever, desperately romantic, a song seemingly  written by a certain Lynch/Badalementi, not really knowing where this originally comes from,.. Last track, “Soft Black Stars” is a David Tibet song, and is another immense beauty. I also really like the adaptation of one of my favourite classical tunes in it, by …?  Highly recommended !! A must, especially for the songs and voice interpretation.

Durtro Antony and Current Ninety Three (under soft black stars) (US/UK,2002)*****/***

“It’s really a shame that not many witnessed the early delight in 1998”, I thought after hearing this live recording at Saint Olave’s Church in London a second time. Perhaps a few pearls in a big room are more noticeable as treasures. The very short track, “You stand above me”, in all it’s simplicity of just voice and piano and some violin, for me is almost from an eternal loop of beauty. “The Lake” is based upon a text by Edgar Allan Poe but is sung as if it’s one of his own songs. I found it already a very beautiful text. I also like the presentation of it in a video comic at the website (watch here). It’s another song which affects me deeply. Another classic of his, “Cripple and the starfish” is also added, in another perfect version.

The last three tracks are by David Tibet/Curent 93 with minimal piano improvisation. He brings “Judas as Black Moth”, “Sleep has his house”, and “Walking like Shadow”, from which I like most the first short track. The piano is a bit too much improvised in the moment, in style, like accompanying a movie with a few chords and ideas. On the second track that shows itself too much. There I wished the piano would have stopped when the voice was increasing in volume its repetitive text. It makes the song and energy, overloaded and too out of balance to be perfect. Last track with guitar then comes like relief after that. David Tibet texts and text choices are always literature related or like literature, from which UK has an incredibly rich history in every sense.

DurtroCurrent Ninety Three / Anthony and the Johnsons (1998,1999)*°°

This 2 track single is a less necessary buy because it contains the same version of “Criple and the Starfish”, which later appeared on the full album. Both versions, from the full CD and the live-album are essential. This is arranged with many instruments. The essence of the song, in all versions I know remain exactly the same. Also the Second track by Current 93 also comes from an album, “Sleep has his house". I assume this was a kind of first presentation to the world of Antony, with Current 93 as backing support. As a release on its own it’s not essential if you have all three other releases. The song by Current 93 is very good as well, but you can also find it on another full release.

Secretely Canadian Anthony & The Johnsons : The Lake (US,2004)**°°

I assumed the feminine side of Anthony through this picture was more directly transposed. It is actually a picture of Candy Darling on her deathbed (she suffered from leukemia). If I see a few other pictures, she seemed like a tasteful and beautiful transvestite. She appeared in some Andy Warholl films. First track seems to be another version of the beautiful interpretation of “The Lake”, written by Edgar Allan Poe. The song and interpretation still remains one of my all time favourites. It’s a song with much heart in it, and with a beautiful text. Second track “Fistful of Love” comes from the upcoming album, “I am a bird now”. It has soft entertainment percussion, piano, which makes it more cabaret than it is absolutely necessary, arranged with brass and all. But this way it can also hide some suffering and pain from love or something. “A horror has gone” is arranged more with a chamber music like band. A new fave, and another almost annoyingly emotional song.

Info on Candy : http://www.warholstars.org/stars/candy.html

Other review : http://www.tonevendor.com/item/15742

& http://www.brainwashed.com/brain/brainv07i46.html

Secretly CanadianAntony and the Johnsons : I am a bird now (US,2005)**°°

For this release Anthony goes even more conceptual, and with much personal empathy in it. It’s dedicated to the memory of Page. On the first track, “Hope There's Someone” (or here) the piano, organ and some vocal parts goes in the end into overacting, over-emotional increasing energy, expressing an uncomfortable situation. All tracks are expressions with much inner love, sympathy and some aspect of sadness ("My Lady Story"). Some additional voices come from people that exposed some aspect of homosexuality, like Boy George, who’s the second voice on “You are my sister” performing his part well, or Lou Reed (also former Velvet Underground with John Cale & Nico) on “Fistful of Love”. Rufus Wainwright sings on “What can I do ?”, with emotions in between entertainment and truer expressions. Devendra Banhart participated with some part on “Spiralling” in a very odd miniature way. Very strong is also Julia Yashuda’s contribution, a small track with morse code and voice on “Free at last”.

“I am a bird now” I guess is partly about emotionality with expectations of sexuality, vulnerable like a bird in front of a cat. Where Antony was like a starfish under water before, here he’s the bird, a feminine male part of expressiveness. A strong document and a  must for people dealing with emotional problems regarding a confused male or female sexuality.

But, this is not the best starter !! The album also suffers from a sort of over-acting typical for a homosexual milieu as if this is a sort of publicity stunt for them. While before, Anthony's music was much more of a universal nature, the over-exposing nature of these expressions, as vocal techniques and emotional involvements, because of this involvement become also a bit over the top. I'm sure the media will dig it more heavily and with all the involved names this also might bring more public interest, but what lies deeper beyond all that might still be reserved for the few.

More audio : "For today I am a Buoy"(or MP3), "Man is the baby".

Info : http://www.secretlycanadian.com/catalog/sc105.htm

or http://www.brainwashed.com/antony/

Review : http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/...

& http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2623

& http://www.citypages.com/databank/26/1263/article12979.asp

& http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2005-02-03/music_discs.php

Article : http://www.nymetro.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/reviews/10958/index.html

German review : http://www.laut.de/lautstark/cd-reviews/...

Review of 2007 release with Michael Cashmore on http://singersong.homestead.com/newsingers-17.html

Rough TradeAntony and the Johnsons : The Crying Light (US,2008)****

It seemed not to have been necessary, but I had become a little suspicious after Anthony’s previous release with its explicit sexual preferences dealt with within its subject, hoping it had been just a balanced coincidental story, close to one’s heart, and that it would still lead once more to different, universal feelings. My local record store owner confirmed to me that Antony's expressions did not degrade to a cabaret-based form but continued with its strong inner characteristics. I checked out and found out he was right. I am already late in finding out ; the album has already been out quite some time.

The singing is beautiful, the arrangements are perfect, the songs will ask some time before I can unfold its layers of associations. I didn’t get a grip on all after a first listen. There exists already plenty of reviews of it so I will just refer to them, because I’m not sure how essential it is to add much more, and also, those potentially interested in the album already read some other reviews or checked the album out, so that for the moment I will just leave it with some references and these short remarks. Recommended.

Audio "Epilepsy is dancing"

Info on http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/news/news.html

Remarks on http://stereogum.com/archives/...

Other review on http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12596-the-crying-light/

& http://drownedinsound.com/releases/13941/reviews/4136140

& http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/antony-and-the-johnsons-the-crying-light

Baby Dee is another relatively comparable artist who, like Anthony

was involved with Current 93 before and shared stages. See seperate reviews here.

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