Customer Reviews

Swanlights

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was expecting total disappointment from Antony on this one. When I first heard "Hope There is Someone" in late 2004, I almost instantly welled up with tears; it was so powerfully, nakedly emotional, so unique and inspiring. I soon soaked up everything I could by Antony, including his various guest appearances on others' albums. And I loved everything he did. It's as if everything featuring his voice was instant gold.

2009's "The Crying Light" was a bit of a rude awakening for me, then. Many people praise that album as either equal or superior to "I am a Bird Now," but I see it as stiff and stuffy, a forced and awkward continuation of familiar themes; a parody of his former glory. It had a few moments of true beauty, but largely it seemed as if Antony was trading the fire of his art for a status as a "mature" artist.

When the single "Thank You for Your Love" was recently released, I felt as if my fears for Antony's fate were sealed. Here was more uninspired mimicry of his older songs: in this case, a more than passing resemblance to the far superior "Fistful of Love," as well as VU's "Candy Says" (which Antony has covered).

I am happy to say, then, that the album "Swanlights" is not well represented by its lead single. While not as daring as I'd like it to be, this new album makes Antony sound fresh again, and thank goodness for that.

Spacious, serene, mysterious, and boasting a wide vocal range--even dipping into the major key! Antony is singing out to the back row once again, something he hasn't done since his eponymous debut. And this one feels very cohesive, even though it's actually quite erratic.

Here's a breakdown of the tracks:

1) Everything is New: A fantastic opener. It's no Hope There is Someone, but thankfully it's not trying to be. Both meditative and explosive, it really sets the tone for the rest of the album.

2) The Great White Ocean: This could be better. I think it really would have sounded great with some more emphasis on drones and ethereality, but instead we get a baroque minstrel-type feel with a cheesy guitar that sounds like it came from The Princess Bride.

3) Ghost: Has the feel of late 60's Scott Walker, a gorgeous mix of light and dark tones. Love it!

4) I'm In Love: This is a strange one. It's peppy and soulful, but the arrangement is hypnotic, and a bit sinister. Quite the ear worm.

5) Violetta: A brief instrumental. Not much on its own, but it provides some punctuation to the album.

6) Swanlights: Psychedelic and very eerie. I wish he would have played around with other songs on the album as he does here (especially track 2).

7) The Spirit Was Gone: A good track. Kind of a meditative tone poem, like the opener. Brief and opaque, but the melody does sound a lot like "You Never Give Me Your Money" by the Beatles.

8) Thank You For Your Love: As a single, this was disappointing. Now that I know that this sound doesn't reflect the rest of the album, though, it's okay to listen to. It's derivative and overly simplistic, but it is nice to hear Antony sounding so joyous at the end.

9) Fletta: A duet with with Bjork. Quirky yet pretty. Lovable and mystical.

10) Salt Silver Oxygen: The lyrics are quite odd, but this track grew on me. It's like a weirder, slightly darker cousin of Ghost. Or like "The Crying Light"'s Everglade redone in the style of his debut album.

11) Christina's Farm: A nice closer. Brings back themes from the first song, but with some added levity and sobriety. Almost like the moment of waking from the dream of the previous tracks.

I'm still hoping that Antony pushes his art further than what he's doing here (is he afraid of drum machines?), but "Swanlights" offers a unique world of sounds and feelings that is a pleasure to inhabit.

I've missed you, friend. It's been too long.

Antony and the Johnsons vuelven a darnos toda una lección de sensibilidad. Este nuevo disco nos descubre un nuevo Antony mas positivo pero como siempre cargado de sentimiento y delicadeza. La aportación de Nico Muhly en la instrumentación se nota y añade nuevos matices a la siempre emocionante música de Antony Hegarty

I was introduced to Antony through a British television show called Later With Jools, a fantastic venue where bands perform live.

At first I didn't know what to make of Antony's voice. It's so...different, yet...familiar. I took the bait and bought The Crying Light and it took a bit of time before the album hit me on the head. I admit it took me a while but I realized I was listening to someone pretty special, uniquely special and ultimately greatly special.

It's awfully hard to offer a critique of Antony's latest album (or really, any of his albums). I've yet to read a real and examined critique of Swanlights (and nor should my little critique be considered fully examined). You really do have to live with an Antony album for A WHILE before putting pen to paper but of course the media is not going to wait.

I am surprised at how much is apparently immediate to me in this album. There is something accessible to me about Antony's latest efforts. And believe me, it's not like I understand what Antony's is doing or where Antony's going with Swanlights but it seems much more effortless and accessible to me.

Antony is truly musically earnest and it works rather well. What can I say at this point? This is another great effort by Antony.

I don't usually write too many reviews on here, but I felt I had to respond to the poor overall rating this album seems to have received on here. This album is much too good for that. While I may have overrated it compensation (It's probably more of a 4.25-4.5, this stands up very favorably against The Crying Light and I Am A Bird Now. Antony is a master of evocative and complex melodies and hauntingly gorgeous atmosphere and that has not changed on Swanlights (a title which I absolutely love).

A brief word on Antony's EPs - why does he release them? Another World and Thank You For Your Love were both extremely weak and give very little hope for the coming album. And, as with The Crying Light where "Another World" was the one skippable track, so too here "Thank You For Your Love" is the skippable one. It starts off decently, if not spectacularly, but the ending repetitively shouted cacophony is extremely grating.

However, the rest of the album is wonderful from start to finish. "Salt Silver Oxygen" is almost classical in its complexity, "Fletta" has truly transcendent moments (sadly hampered by a few moments which destroy the unity and mood of the track), and "Salt Silver Oxygen" is beautiful as well. The two truly wonderful tracks, however, are "Ghost" and "Swanlights", both of which I could listen to over and over.

For fans of Antony, this album comes highly recommended, but keep an open mind, and beware the curse of the EP!

I love Anthony he has the voice of an angel. The first time I played the cd was not enough I had to listen to it again and again. Wonderful. It is my first Anthony cd but will not be my last one.

On first listen `Swanlights' doesn't have the immediate impact of `I Am A Bird Now', but after repeated listening you see it is just as beautiful and in some ways more nuanced. From the opening track `Everything is New' and hearing Antony's spellbinding vocals you know you are on safe ground here and the rest of the album doesn`t disappoint. There is a duet with Bjork here as well and I have to say it is one of my favourite tracks on the album, the blend of their voices is nothing short of magical. I tend to feel this is a better constructed album than `The Crying Light' and is the worthy successor to `IAABN' that we were waiting for. Needless to say, for fans of Antony and the Johnsons this will be a pleasing affair and for those new to their stuff I suggest you try `IAABN' first and then come to this down the line to fully appreciate the music on offer.

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I really liked the CD a lot. Some of the earlier CDs do seem a bit better, but the only issue I have is some of the lyrics seem a bit simplistic and without depth. I thought several times on several songs that perhaps if the story in the songs were as interesting as the melody I'd be more satisfied.

I would recommend the CD and certainly the artist. Still love to see a concert of his....his music is masterful!

Hegarty's voice is much tamer here than on Crying Light, the sister project. Swanlights is a good middle ground between the subjects of nature and gender, and between genres.
Swanlights is sonically very interesting but I find the several of the compositions fragmented, particularly on the single "Thank You For Your Love" and "Everything Is New." Also, the lyrics are overwhelmingly ecstatic -- think along the lines of "Begone Devil!" -- and I think subtlety, control and wit make for more mature lyricism.
I was persuaded to purchase the album mostly because it features "Fletta," a duet with Bjork, and as long as I have that recording I'm happy.

This may be a good place to start when exploring Antony's challenging body of work, but as someone very familiar with the complexities of The Crying Light and I Am a Bird Now, this was a real let-down. The song's seem uninspired, and carelessly minimalistic. While their are a few highlights on the album ("Swanlights" and "Ghost" come to mind), they are not strong enough to carry the dead weight that is the rest of the album. If this is a new direction for Antony, I hope he either takes some ques from his earlier work or gives us a stronger album justifying this change.

I was first introduced to Antony and the Johnsons when I came across his cover of "if it be your will" and I was instantly hooked. Since then I wore out his previous cd's. His self titled and also the crying light have not left my playstack. His unique voice and artfull creativeness is sheer brilliance. That being said, with the Swanlights cd I found myself in that same dark, desolate, and depressing place except this time I was wanting to escape it. By track 5 I had my psychiatrist on speed dial. I found myself asking, when is art too much art?? This cd was a rather difficult one to enjoy. Only the artist himself knows at times what he is talking about. This artist confronts the issues of ghosts, death, and dying. But hasn't he already done that? This cd just had too many layers of instruments, wailing, and confusion to really enjoy it. Fletta (the bjork duet)is one of the highlights on this cd along with "thank you for your love" is a close second. For me though, I recommend the EP "thank you for your love". The selections on it are more sane and more enjoyable. You can understand it more and it has less mess going on in the background.