Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light

Label: Secretly Canadian

The Crying Light is another heartbreakingly beautiful record from Antony Hegarty, at once complementary with his most recent full-length, 2005’s stupendous I Am a Bird Now, and wholly independent in its own right. The same unaffected vulnerability is there, and Antony again explores the topics of death and his fascination with the natural world, but this album is an even more subdued affair, its tone starkly contrasted from the downtown Manhattan aesthetic of Bird. Don’t mistake subdued for stripped-down, however; the arrangements, by Nico Muhly among others, are as intricate and compelling as ever, whether it’s a subtle use of wind, strings or percussion. Most compelling of all is Antony’s voice, as powerful as ever, never affected or hammy, always finding just the right tone. A stunning and lovely record, Crying Light is a bracing antidote to a world gone wrong. (Ralph)