AR: I Am a Bird Now

Antony & The Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (2005)

A rich piano, multiple guests and a choral (strings, bass) arrangement back a voice from an alien/angel: true, it would be idiotic to mention this music without first noting the wide-ranging (and wide-range) vibrato vocals supplied by Antony. He sounds like a spectral mix of Bowie / Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music), but not in a derivative way; those are just the closest referents that capture his otherworldly sounds. There's a strange cabaret / after-hours post-jazz vibe to the music, and so add this to the list of albums to drink alone in the dark to. I've read that the lounge singer from Blue Velvet was a major influence on his artistry, and that is not exactly in doubt on this disc.

The album sticks to this vibe throughout, and the emotion - whether prompted by struggle or hope - is earnest and gripping throughout. The music is permeated with Antony's transgendered themes, and both his weariness and gospel-esque anthems carry a wealth of feeling. It's unsubtle, sure - there's the lovely duet "You Are My Sister" with Boy George, "For Today I Am a Boy" and "My Lady Story," all of which wear their pain/transcendence on the outside - but it's far from cheesy.

Case in point: the overwhelming gospel blues of "Fistful of Love," far away the stand up and cry highlight. It starts with a Loaded-style poetry doo-wop intro from, yep, Lou Reed, and launches into a progressively crescendo-ing diva workout. Guttural sax solos scream "No Irony Zone," and the hipster dies with a triumphant cheer for the emotional crooner. It's great.

The only potential fault of this album is its sameness throughout - it's a lot of downer-music, to be frank, and as such sits in a pretty limited range on the in-the-mood-for spectrum. It also unfortunately fades quite a bit toward the back end - not to badness, but to less stand-out material. The highs on it are exquisite, and on those particular late nights, you'll be thankful to have it, but that's not *quite* enough for me to give it an unqualified recommendation (read: this one's right on the border).

Status: Recommended (solid)
Nyet's Fave: "Fistful of Love"