Customer Reviews

I Am a Bird Now

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Well, this may be one of those "love-it-or-hate-it" cases, the kind of album you'll consider an extraordinary discovery that made your year, or the kind of music that makes unexplainable how the friend who turned you onto it, loves it so much.
What everyone might agree on, though, is that such strong reaction to it comes from one source, the band's powerful presence and distinct identity.
Practically every song hits a deep chord on you, each a different one, and a huge part of it is the exceptional dramatic range of Antony's voice, which infuses of a certain pouring of his heart. Imagine a more romantic and desperate, yet less operatic, Rufus Wainwright, without necessarily going over the edge.
Whether "Hope There's Someone" with its mournful tone, or the gorgeous and chant-like "My Lady Story," or "For Today I'm Not A Boy" which is lovely and difficult -and a high moment in this album- as the music and the lyrics build together. Just in the first three songs, the group shows that they are a new and genuine sensibility.
As comparisons go, Antony and the Johnsons belong to the same emotive thread than the Tindersticks, most present in "Fistful of Love", and taking his own path on "You Are My Sister." Yet, they would not be out of place backing Marianne Faithful or doing covers of Kurt Weil's songs.
The rest of the songs don't fall far behind from those I mentioned. Each may end up your favorite, and can be the code to a secret frequency in your heart, evoked not necessarily by the lyrics but a consistent -not repetitive- feel of being late-night and being alone remembering your life.
What is puzzling and particular about Antony is the innocence of his lyrics, even when addressing dark personal places, being just as true as the weary heart that he evokes in his voice.
All in all, this is the most impressive album I heard all year, even if it's so likely to divide the waters between worshipers and those stunned that anyone may like it.

In the new world of post-cabaret, what sets Antony and the Johnsons apart from your Nellie McKay, your Rufus Wainwright, your Dresden Dolls is the voice, the literal and then the metaphoric one. Antony's vibrato - off-putting at first, or simply unusual - shares the timbre and shadings of early-Bryan Ferry circa Country Life. On their second release, I Am a Bird Now, Antony and the Johnsons speak for changelings of every stripe, specifically to the travails of the transgender community. If that sounds exclusionary, maybe it is, yet I Am a Bird Now is bracing from start to finish. Antony's songs - from "My Lady Story" to "You Are My Sister" to the Motown-styled "Fistful of Love" - are certainly specific to his place in the world, and sensitive to the plight of the sexually confused (or not so confused, as it turns out). Yet a plaint as simple as "For Today I Am a Boy" - in which Antony prays to one day "grow up to be a beautiful woman" - is heartbreaking, because who hasn't wanted to one day grow up to be something other than what they are? Which is to say that there is the pop specific and universal in his songs about a man who feels like a woman getting by in a man's world. Rumor has it that Lou Reed is a big fan, and that Antony's songs make him cry. If Lou Reed sheds a tear for this fierce and talented outsider, what chance do we mere mortals have?

Yes, this album isn't for those used to top 40. It may even turn off the most open of listeners. But what you absolutely cannot deny is that the emotion on this album is so rich, pure, and achingly heartfelt that if you listen a sincere ear, as if you were listening to a friend pouring his heart to you, your heart will break wide open right along with him. Some may be annoyed by the vibrato in his voice, but while others do it to be showy and technical, I can feel the emotion behind his voice. Some sing to try and find their emotions. He merely sings what he feels.

This is not the emperor's new clothes. If it were, it wouldn't bring tears to one's eyes. Music is about heart, not song structure, not 100% accuracy, and certainly not appeasing the masses. Oh, and you may also notice that two reviewers that gave this album 1 star used very descriptive words such as "poop" and "turd", respectively. Nice job, guys. I suppose you want to give Antony a wedgie, too?

Let me start by saying that I recognize that this album is an acquired taste. I can imagine that many listeners will find Antony too dramatic, too depressing, too eccentric, too this, too that. Let me also acknowledge that a lot of my favorite artists are acquired tastes--Bjork, Belle and Sebastian, and so on. I might be more likely to fall for something that is supposedly "mannered" than other music lovers.

More importantly, though, I want to say that this is the most strikingly beautiful and moving album I have heard in years. Antony's singing and songwriting are rich, haunting, and soulful, and I cannot say enough positive things about him. To me, this is a perfect record. Nothing sounds out of place, nothing feels forced. The first song is absolutely heartbreaking, as is the last, and there are several highlights along the way--the stately "My Lady Story," the compassionate "You Are My Sister," the rousing "Fistfull of Love." While there are several "celebrity" guest spots on the record, you never forget who the real star of the show is.

Again, I can understand why people might not like Antony, but in this day and age there is no excuse for purchasing an album and feeling duped because you realize you dislike the singer's voice or style. Listen to sound clips on Amazon or elsewhere--you should be able to tell from that if you completely hate his vocals, and you'll know to avoid his recordings.

For those of you that do like Antony, I recommend checking out the EP's he has released for this album, which contain several excellent B-sides. I'd also recommend checking out his "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy" EP, which contains three songs that you cannot find on any of his albums. Amazon doesn't seem to be selling it right now (there are used copies that are going for almost $70), but you can purchase it for $8 plus shipping and handling on his official site. I think the "Dead Boy" EP in particular is essential listening for fans of this particular album.

Warning: If you have a strong aversion to men who sing in a high, quivering falsetto, or if you are generally considered a hard rockin' homophobe; this album IS NOT FOR YOU. Try the latest "Almost Greatest Hits" compilation by Lynard Skinnard.

However, if you are possessed of an open, inquiring mind - one that embraces beauty, intelligence and artistic expression - a mind that can rise above all the stupid labels and pidgeonholes our society is so fond of applying to anyone they can't fathom, then try this out.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I purchased Bird Gurl after reading a couple of rave reviews on Indy Websites. God knows the cover art alone would be off-putting to almost anyone uncomfortable with any sort of gender-bending (Hmmm, guess that means about 92% of Americans), let alone any overcompensating, monster truck-driving NASCAR nitwit with a pair of naked girl mudflaps (I think thou dost protest too much sir!) The photo of Candy Darling on the album cover gives me a melancholy feeling, and makes me think of what a child born of the union of Tim Curry and Marlene Dietrich might look like.

But getting back to the music; it is completely ETHEREAL. I have never heard, much less imagined, that such a synthesis of human voice and musical instruments could produce such a heavenly choir.

Antony has an amazing voice, and it sounds lovely to me regardless of the words he's singing; even the saddest songs offer tremendous insight into what it is like to be human, to love, to fear, to face change, to feel different from the rest of the world. The lyrics reflect Antony's understanding of both the necessity for change and the attendant fear that comes with it. The songs combine his thought-provoking lyrics with his strange, angelic voice to produce a recording of incredible depth and beauty.

Instrumentally speaking, the songs are stripped down to just a few powerful supporting cast members: There is an emphasis on piano, with some violin, viola, cello, sax, and flute. With the celestial sound of Antony's voice, and the beautifully arranged music, the songs could almost be chamber music for an audience of the dearly departed..

I don't know what the rest of the world thinks about this strange and wonderful music, but to me it's absolutely beautiful.

It's been a long time since I last felt the desire to share my thoughts on an album. True, I've never been a prolific reviewer. In the past, however, I was more receptive of things musical. Or should I say I was more easily enthused? Quicker at becoming attuned to the ways in which a textual object would lend itself to interpretation? Perhaps I was a keener semiotician then, or liked to think that I was. Perhaps I was more naïve and confident that I could grasp the complexities behind art, or at least that I might be able to uncover (and then convey) one possible meaning treasured within a work of art. Sadly, a lot has changed in my life over the past two and a half years.

Most significantly, I have been through an experience which seems to me to be so close to the one Antony describes incredibly well in I am a Bird Now, by means of the lyrics and the singing style employed. Does he really describe it though? I can't positively say. It sometimes seems like a fallacy on my part, like an easy projection of my life onto suggestions which are polysemous and poetic more than they are specific to any one situation. However, this realization would lead to self-censuring and self-castration. So let's for a minute pretend I'm right. Let's assume that I am a Bird Now is about Loss, about Grieving, about finding Reason or at least Hope and some Beauty in the midst of personal tragedy. Let's presume that it talks about the suffering of someone who doesn't feel at ease in their environment, both physical and psychological.

That Antony is a gender-bending artist is a given. That there is ample use of metaphor in his lyrics is likewise undeniable. While this contributes to making the songs feel painfully sincere, it doesn't strike me as central. Beyond Antony's gender-defying verbal and vocal renditions (which account for my lax use of pronouns), there seems to be a core topic, that of abandonment and loneliness, the sense that something has happened to place the bird in a cage, making it unable to fly. That's how the album starts off. If I am a Bird Now is indeed a story about survival and widowhood, as I like to see it, then it seems also to be a story about communication with those who have left us. There are many instances in which I see the unrequited monologue of the widow to her (my) loved one and her (my) faith that silent answers can be heard through unexpected channels. That's how pain and love become inextricably intertwined well beyond common masochism. Ultimately, the narration seems to develop toward some kind of solution, although it is more about resolve and wishful thinking than it is about actual recovery. It's an animal-like instinct to move on to a new prey, not by virtue of a predatory urge in and of itself, but for the sake of life over death. The most innocent of impulses, the one that truly allows for the bird gerhl to fly and then go to heaven.

Is it all a fallacy on my part, or is I am a Bird Now really to be taken so seriously? I do not know, nor do I care. What I do know is that listening to it made me cry those tears that I had been withholding up until then. That it stirred me and made me feel like someone was expressing the emotions that I myself was unable to express, even though I wanted to and needed to. What I do know is that this is the one CD that I have been wanting to review since I first listened to it, breaking my two and a half year reserve. While this doesn't make my assumptions any more accurate, it does pay honour to Antony and the Johnsons and to I am a Bird Now. This is a thank you, as well as a heartfelt five-star review.

I bought this album after seeing Antony at the Point Theatre in Dublin performing in "Come so far for Beauty", a Leonard Cohen tribute. Antony literally stunned the audience that night and outshone all the bigger stars. I'm not a "Recording Engineer/Producer" but I was a piano teacher a long time ago. I love this album, I love Antonys unconventional use of vibrato (natural not trained or whatever who cares) and his lyrics are a reflection of his own honest view of himself. I own 600-700 CD's (from Puccini to the Sex pistols) and I rank this in my top 30.

I am hypnotically drawn to this album, to Antony's voice in everything I've heard him sing on... particualarly his rendition of "If It Be Your Will," from the sound track to Leonard Cohen's movie, released summer '06, "I'm Your Man."

I at first said to my husband "Who's this Antony guy? He looks really weird?" We were both spellbound by his voice and his presence while singing "If It Be Your Will."

Now I am buying everything I can that Antony has done. The song with Boy George, "I Am Your Sister" is so beautiful! Who cares if they are gay or confused or wounded about their sexuality? To me, his heart cry shows me how much our society brings pain to those who don't fit inot the tight little white box of heterosexuality... and I am a straight chick!

Open your mind before you listen to this. If you can't... you will miss out on the most beautiful male vocie on this planet right now! REALLY!!!!

Hi there, I thought I would review this. I don't often review things, so here goes.

I bought this album, just because I like the name. I have no idea what the cover looks like, but I had heard good things. So I put it on, and just went, "wow! that's different," when I heard the first song. You'll either like Antony's voice or you won't, it's relatively high but the vibrado is just...eery. I like unique voices, and then there's the lyrics, especially "hope there's someone," don't we all wonder about that? That's why we have religion, right? The instrumentation, as has been stated, is pretty straightforward in terms of what is used, but like any good artist, it's how they use it. The melodies are not necessarily complex, but the subtleies that are in them allow for a complexity that is hard to grasp at first.

Going back to the voice, I could definitely see why people wouldn't like it, but that doesn't mean you should just say, "oh that was the worst voice I've ever heard," hey, at least the guy has the ability to sing, right?

I like the sadness, the gentleness of it all, the rather sparse arrangement, but most of all I think that voice, there's nothing like it. Remember when Ray Charles first came on the scene with Atlantic in the '50s? People didn't like what he was doing, mixing gospel sort of sounds with the R&B of the time, but now do you doubt his genious? While I give a rather radical example, I encourage that this album be listened to multiple times and preferably early in the morning or late at night for atmosphere.

Those are just my thoughts, you may read what you like of them or ignore them completely, but most of all, please be open, you'll never know until you try something, right?

Peace if it can be found here at some point,
Dave

I can see people not liking this artist or this album quite easily. But I fail to see why "I am a Bird Now" would generate the vitriol by some of the (few) negative reviewers. Not their cup of tea? No problem. 'Sucks like poo . . .'? I sense the possibility of a bit of homophobia, especially given the subject matter of the lyrics (which I didn't even notice until after I started looking at the liner notes, reading the credits, and paying attention to the lyrics. Didn't change my opinion about the album (5 stars) but at least I can understand how some people might react - not justifiable, but understandable.

I just got this as a gift today on Christmas, and I consider it the treasure of the day. My sister-in-law who sent this to me was almost apologetic for sending it, but still claimed it was one of her favorite albums albeit pointing out that it's "a bit strange."

I looked at the cover and wondered who the nice looking female model was, shrugged, popped it in the CD player in the kitchen and started doing the dishes. I wasn't even listening to the words that closely but found myself beginning to cry a little. Then I started listening real hard.

It's a unique album that I'll be passing on to friends for years. It's lyrical; stilted; weepy; soaring; odd; and throw lots of other incongruous adjectives as well.

Thanks, Zil! My favorite Xmas present for 2005.