Antony & The Johnsons – The Crying Light

The Crying Light – Antony & The Johnsons

By Chris Peken

Wow. I hold high expectations of a new offering from the distinct and unique voice of Anthony (Hegarty) and the Johnsons. Three albums in 8 years only heightens these expectations. But The Crying Light exceeds all one could have imagined or hoped for. Wow. From the delicious sadness and redemption of their last alum, 2005’s I Am a Bird Now, Antony has moved on in the intervening years to a position of acceptance; acceptance of the great vastness of the universe, the interconnectedness of all things, the unknown and unknowable – “I saw six eyes glistening in my womb / I felt you calling me in the gloom / Rest assured your love is pure.” In keeping with this position of sereneness, The Crying Light revolves around the piano and vocals of Hegarty, with neo-classical arrangements and instrumentation used sparingly but to precise effect. Hegarty’s other-worldly voice, sitting as it does between genders as Nina Simone did, could not be better placed to evoke such universal and infinite concepts, both of the natural world and the individual, and how they reflect the greater expanses. Exploring the outer limits of what music and art can bring to them human experience are the wonderful Antony and the Johnsons.

**** 1/2