There aren’t many albums that can make me people overcome with emotion; Antony and the Johnson’s second release ‘I am a Bird’ is one that will affect you one way or another, there is no sitting on the fence with this album.
Antony is unique in more ways than one. His big, bulky frame suggest anything but the octave-straddling voice that comes from him. It is a majestic soaring vibrato reminiscent of Nina Simone, Billie Holiday or even Jeff Buckley. His warbling tenor can range from falsetto highs to rumbling soulful lows. He has the uncanny ability to take a standard blues progression and give it authority, making you empathize with every single syllable that he sings.
The music itself, is a mixture of chamber pop and bluesy parlor room music. Much has been said of the ‘gender-bending’ topics contained on this album but the themes dealt with are universal, ranging from gender issues, abuse, loneliness, death, a sense of belonging, companionship, love, and loss. His lyrics range from the profoundly personal to the somewhat ambiguous. You feel extreme sympathy for him with these lyrics but at the same time great appreciation for the music as well.
Antony’s band, the Johnsons, are a talented group of musicians who do excellent work backing up their amazing leading man. However we are also treated to a stellar line up of special guests such as Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed, Boy George and Devendra Banhart. When one combines all of these aspects together , the result is nothing short of exhilarating albeit disquieting at times.
The album takes us on a journey. Antony’s voice is like a caged bird held prisoner and its hard to be effected by the feeling of his trappings within his own body. However this album is about one of transformation and metamorphosis. That bird is set free by the end of the album and serves as a metaphor for Antony himself.
The opening track ‘Hope There’s Someone’ is nothing short of mesmerizing. The trembling voice is haunting and heartbroken accompanied by a simple piano line. The layered vocals are ghastly and beautiful in equal measures before the song ends with a chaotic crashing of spiraling piano crescendos and operatic chorus harmonies. Next is ‘My Lady’s Story’ which is a soft, smooth flavored waltz with added viola. This leads nicely into ‘For Today I Am A Boy’ yet another ambiguous song in nature but quite simply amazing. The emotion one man can impose purely from singing accompanied to a piano is truly awesome. ‘Man Is The Baby’ continues the cabaret offering before we are hurled into the astonishing duet between Antony and Boy George, ‘You Are My Sister’. Both put in amazing performances and is even more profound when one realizes that the man singing with Antony was the inspiration to live the way he does and to do what he does so well, sing. ‘What Can I Do?’ is one of my favorite tracks of all time, Rufus is a stunning choice of lead vocals, a languid meditation of death which sounds like it’s being sung from a smoke filled room. It’s all to brief, but stunning! ‘A Fistful of love’ is the gospel-tinged number featuring Lou Reed. We are treated to a horn section as well in this ode to domestic abuse. ‘Spiraling’ features Devendra Banhart with her disturbing incantations at the start of this staggering effort. Finally Antony is set free with ‘Free At Last’ and ‘Bird Girl’ marking the end of this stunning album, the songbird finally gets to fly, free at last.
I can understand this album not being to everyone’s taste however, for anyone who truly appreciates music this is quite literally one fo the most amazing albums made of any given time period, it’s different, it’s timeless and it will be regarded as a classic for many years to come. Here at number four is Antony and the Johnsons, ‘I Am A Bird Now’
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