Album Review: Antony & The Johnsons - Cut The World

Antony & The Johnsons
Cut The World
Rating: Grrrr

Recorded live in Denmark with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra, Cut The World is essentially a hits compilation, spanning his four studio records and adding one new track, the title song. Antony is no stranger to orchestrations in his recordings and here relies on Nico Muhly, Rob Moose, Maxim Moston for arrangements. Only a few of the songs are transformed significantly, preferring to remain faithful to the essence of the originals, while still adding just the right amounts of drama and texture. Cut The World sticks to the main themes in Antony's work, sexuality, duality, the body, pain and pleasure and brings them all together into a cohesive journey, only seldom coming across as pretentious, as on the seven minute monologue "Future Feminism" in which Antony waxes rhapsodic on the moon, menstrual cycles, and patriarchal societies. But aside from this slight quirk, the record is remarkably restrained, focusing on Antony's other-worldly voice. It is in remarkable form here, hushed at moments, strong and fearless the next, shooting sky high with his brilliantly controlled falsetto on others.

Starting off with the stately title track, written for part of the score for the Robert Wilson-directed stage production of The Life and Death of Marina Abramović, the song touches on the push and pull between the masculine and feminine, reflecting "for so long I've obeyed that feminine decree/I've always contained your desire to hurt me."



The arrangement for "You Are My Sister" provides the track with a melancholy gravitas, warmed by a hauntingly fragile vocal.



"Kiss My Name" is given a lightness missing from the original, bursts of percussion pushing the piano and strings/woodwinds into a lilting jig.



Stark pianos back the elegant vocal from Antony on "Epilepsy Is Dancing," punctuated by rising waves of strings, his voice climbing and climbing.



While the ethereal, gorgeous "Swanlights" is presented with all the power of a Straussian tone poem.



The only reworking that doesn't necessarily work as well as the original is "Another World" which is given a strangely menacing string background that creates a lot of tension without any release.



Cut The World is not a completely relevatory work transforming these songs into something distinctly different, but honestly I don't believe that was the intention. It is a document of Antony at the height of his power, and shows a supreme confidence in his craft.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.