Antony And The Johnsons’ Album Is Not Exactly The Feel-Good Record Of The Year

Dan Gibson | January 20, 2009 10:00 am

Our look at the closing lines of reviews of the week’s biggest new music continues with a look at reactions to the new album by Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light, which arrives in stores today:

• “In fact, the song’s redemptive tone inspires similarly wild thoughts about the future. If Hegarty can craft an album this stunning about the path to paradise, just imagine how great the next one could sound, once he’s actually there.” [Pitchfork]

• “Those who’ve derided Hegarty as some warbling joke who’s spent too much time eating his feelings, take note: he’s no hapless dilettante. With The Crying Light Antony And The Johnsons continue to explore the creative boundaries of pop while covering all emotional bases. For that, they should be celebrated.” [NME]

• “When vocalist Antony Hegarty, whose voice has been sailing smoothly through the peaks of his trademark falsetto, cracks (shouting more than crooning the words ‘hold that man I love so much’), it’s clear that the line refers as much to the speaker himself as to his father, his child, lover—his marriage to this woefully damaged but salvageable world. ” [Paste]

• “It’s the most emotionally affecting moment on The Crying Light, because it’s so unexpected—proof that Hegarty can still spring surprises when the initial shock of hearing a white man who sounds like a black woman has worn off.” [The Guardian]