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.

Videos of the Week

Here they are, come and get them:



Dubstep inspired track from Muse.



Trippy video for the first single from Two Door Cinema Club's second record.



Disturbing NSFW clip from Antony & The Johnsons.



Funny, team-building themed video from Lower Dens.



Delicate dream pop from Heavenly Beat with a particularly languid video.

Video: Antony And The Johnsons - "Cut The World"

NSFW video from the new Antony And The Johnsons' live album. Interestingly violent video.

Active Child: You Are All I See

Active Child
You Are All I See
Rating: Grrrr

Active Child (Pat Grossi's one man project) follows up the Curtis Lane EP with his full length debut, You Are All I See, which streamlines the angelic dream pop of the former into a gorgeous collection of tracks that hover on the edge of precious, but always retain an edge of distant melancholy that keeps the project from becoming cloying. Grossi, harpist and former choir boy, doesn't really fall neatly into a genre at all, the songs here draw equally from chillwave, shoegaze, dream pop, fractured R&B, and gauzy electronica, all of which are bound to each other by Grossi's gorgeous falsetto (sounding like a distant cousin to Antony Hegarty) and trills of heavenly harp. This is likely music for heaven's waiting room, evident from the opening title track, making it seem like St. Peter is opening the gates personally for you. The harps float effortlessly over a background of twinkling synths and delayed guitar, with Grossi's multi-tracked vocals performing as heavenly choir.



First single, "Hanging On," , takes the template laid forth in "You Are All I See" and ratchets it up several notches, adding skittering beats, Grossi providing baritone as counterpoint, the haunting interplay back and forth between the different vocals is intoxicating.



The album soars when Grossi does the unexpected. Collaborating with How To Dress Well's Tom Krell on "Playing House" adds a different layer to the mix. Krell's equally distinctive falsetto shouldn't work, however, it's slightly rough, auto-tuned addition rubs against Grossi's voice in a creative way.



The delicate, plaintive "High Priestess" uses an achingly operatic vocal turn from Grossi, adding gravitas and deeper meaning to the lyrics searching for a meaning in life.



"Shield and Sword" gets darker and more Fever Ray meets electro, crisp electronic percussion bounded by dark, throbbing electronics, the light emerging from the dim from Grossi's voice and harp fills.



The journey ending with this year's most hauntingly beautiful song "Johnny Belinda," a slow building track of dark strings, slowly merging in harp punctuation and Grossi's other-worldly falsetto, his heart torn out, unable to obtain the object of his affections:

"Wish that I could give it all
Wish that I was strong enough
Wish that I could change enough
To be yours."



The remaining tracks, while not achieving the heights of these standouts, have their own charms, from the M83 referencing instrumental "Ivy," hymn-like "Way Too Fast," and gorgeous ballad "See Thru Eyes."



You Are All I See is a good entry to Active Child's sound. The Curtis Lane EP, to me, felt a little too overstuffed and busy. Over an album's length of tracks, Grossi is able to be as leisurely as he likes, and the resulting freedom works perfectly with his aesthetic. His sound is very distinctive and sets him apart from most of the crop of electronic albums coming out lately. This distinctiveness is refreshing, and makes You Are All I See one of this year's standout albums.

Rating Guide

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 peaks 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.

When Saints Go Machine: Konkylie

When Saints Go Machine
Konkylie
Rating: Woof Daddy

Remember during the Alan Wilder years of Depeche Mode, how with each album the band experimented with sound, meticulously pouring over each track to make something new and interesting? There was always the "Depeche Mode" sound, but they were always pushing at the boundaries, so it remained fresh. Once Wilder left, the band basically went on autopilot, focusing more maintaining their success rather than striking out in any new directions. Perhaps back in the 80s-90s bands were working with limited equipment and were having to work to create new sounds. Now, anyone with a laptop and an Internet connection can make music, and that sense of wonder and imagination has sort of faded. Every once in awhile, a band or artist comes around with that spark of trying something different and challenging, but working in the realm of pop music. Danish quartet When Saints Go Machine, led by otherworldly vocalist Nicholas Vonsild, don't necessarily sound like Depeche Mode, other than the fact both primarily use synthesizers, however, they share the same restless creativity Depeche Mode enjoyed during their mid-80s tenure. It is actually quite difficult to describe the band's sound. Imagine a cross between the heavily treated electro-pop of The Knife and Fever Ray, the fluttering, archly fey vocals of Antony Hegarty, and the house music stylings of Hercules and Love Affair, and you might get slightly close to their sound. Instead of spending time trying to spot the influence, it is better to just allow the waves of quirky synth-pop wash over you. Word of caution, however, you will either love Vonsild's voice or will hate it. While it is not as polarizing as the lead singer of WU LYF, it still has some definite quirks.

Konkylie doesn't sugar coat things from the beginning. Leading with one the albums most challenging tracks, Vonsild's vocals rise out of a fog of amorphous synthesizers, mutitracked into a chorus of avant garde angels, lifted by twinkling keyboards and horns.



"Church and Law" begins almost like a Renaissance ballad before the bass synths kick in for a lush mid-tempo pop number, filled to the rim with quirky synth tones.



Konkylie straddles the line beautifully between all out pop bliss and darker, edgier tracks. I am slightly more partial to the more mainstream pop tracks, as Vonsild's voice tends to work better when it is reigned in slightly. "Terminal One" is by far the most pop friendly song, Vonsild's voice in a lower register, backed by a funky backbeat and spritely synths.



"Chestnut" is darker, yet still has a more mainstream edge, Vonsild singing in a baritone, staccato bursts of electronics punctuating the liquid mix of beats and synths.

When Saints Go Machine - Chestnut by WalterHeape

"Kelly" is all sunshine keyboards and melodies, perfect for a summer day.



And "Parix" is probably the best of all When Saints Go Machine's worlds, featuring a mix of Vonsild's low-key approach with more fluttering/multi-tracked flights, lying on beds of burbling synthesizers.



This is not to say that I don't enjoy their more experimental tracks. I believe Konkylie would not be the success it is without the mix of pop songs and avant garde tracks. This mix definitely shows the band's range and depth. The whooshing synths, cooing vocals, and strange use of vocal samples on "The Same Scissors" is the perfect bridge between the two approaches.



"Jets" uses a chugging afro-pop beat over deranged synth loops, getting more and more percussive as it unfolds.



"On The Move" and "Whoever Made You Stand So Still" form almost a mini-suite of classical leaning ambient music, with Vonsild taking the most chances with his vocals.




Konkylie is endlessly inventive and fascinating; a pure joy of pop thrills and ceaseless creativity. It is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys stepping outside their comfort zone.

Rating Guide

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 peaks 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.

Videos of the Week

Here are the latest videos that are making me do a double-take:



A fan made video of a new song from Sufjan Stevens. I really love the lyrics to this song.

"And I would say I love you
But saying it out loud is hard
So I won't say it at all
And I won't stay very long

But you are life I needed all along
I think of you as my brother
Although that sounds dumb

And words are futile devices"



Live performance from Antony & The Johnsons. Swanlights is not my favorite album of theirs, but there are such moments of beauty on it, I can't outright dismiss it.



I dare you to watch this video and not smile.



You cannot pigeonhole James Blake. Earlier this year, he released a lovely IDM cd that seemed to indicate a brilliant new electronic producer on our hands, and then he releases another EP that is all piano based songs. including this cover of a Feist song. I have no idea what he will do next, but I eagerly anticipate it.



Another video from Antony & The Johnsons. This is for my favorite song of the new album. Haunting and beautiful.



I have been really getting into the witch-house genre, which is a really stupid name for a type of music. It basically marries frenetic hip-hop beats with goth/shoegaze textures. Improbably it works. Salem are one of the stars of the genre, and this track sounds like Elizabeth Fraser went to bed with My Bloody Valentine and DJ Screw.



Robyn performing on Swedish television.



The extremely dark Banksy created opening to The Simpsons. Apparently, it was even darker at one point.

Non Sequiturs

Met up for lunch with a former PoGo colleague who is now working at the same lawfirm as me.  Was a really nice day and we were able to eat outside on the patio at Vickery's.  While I was not happy to hear she was laid off at PoGo back when they merged with Bryan Cave, it did give me some peace knowing that really anyone in this market is liable to fall from the cuts.  And it was equally if not more heartening to see that she, like me, also landed on her feet.

At lot of people I know were understandbly confused why so many were enraptured by the rescue of the 34 Chilean miners. It really had no effect on us here in the States, or for most of the world for that matter, but I think, considering the horrible things generally we have had to put up with lately (all the horrendous political ads), and specifically all the awful things we as gay people have had to endure in the last few months (DADT, gay marriage opponents, gay teen suicides, etc, etc.), it was nice to see a story with a positive, healthy outcome.

This cracks me up.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Head

"And I forgive you even
As you choke me that way
With the pill or demon and the shrouding ?
Under conversation
In tremendous weight of
A crowd of ages outside
Dressed for murder

I'm not fucking around
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not fucking around"

Sufjan Stevens
"I Want To Be Well"

"The spirit was gone from her body
Forever and had always been inside that shell
Had always been intertwined
And now were disintwined
It's hard to understand"

Antony & The Johnsons
"The Spirit Was Gone"

"It's hard to remember
What we did last November
It's hard to forget
What we haven't done yet

It's easy to let go
Of everything you know
And say goodbye
To all those guys"

Salem
"Redlights"

"Have you ever seen
Two lions wearing meat?
Eagles too quick to creep
One ends up in another's teeth
It wouldn't be this way
If they were eating leaves
Oh how I always pray
I was one of your sheep

I'm a lion babe
Feeding off the sheep their graves
Off the leaf's and blades
I wouldn't have it any other way
I'm a lion babe
See me livin in the shade
I have everyone afraid
Roamin' free so no one's safe"

Gonjasufi
"Sheep"

Appealing Things

Cooler weather
Getting my urge to return to the gym after a month off
The Magicians
Cut The Rope
Gonjasufi
James Blake
Figuring out Ableton Live
Darkstar
Bassnectar adding a second show
Getting a maybe instead of a no

Annoying Things

People in general
People who can't drive a car and talk on a cellphone at the same time
Too many concerts, not enough time or money
Being ridiculously sore after working out for the first time in a month

Antony and the Johnsons: Swanlights

Antony & The Johnsons
Swanlights
Rating: Grrrr

Antony's second album I Am A Bird Now, was an instant classic.  Each song flowed effortlessly into one another, not a note out of place, no song overstaying or understaying its welcome, a beautiful song cycle about internal transformations.  The follow up, The Crying Light, continued his streak of brilliant albums, broadening his palette to sing largely about man's connection with nature.   And now Antony has blessed us with the follow-up, Swanlights.  It took me many listens to get a handle on it, and even now, I still can't say it matches the first two albums in terms of their arguable perfection, but there is still such amazing beauty in the 11 songs that it cannot be dismissed as "minor" or as even a "misstep."   I think Antony is trying to branch out his sound and themes without straying too far from what makes him so special in the first place. 

On the surface, Swanlights appears to be a more upbeat Antony, one that could even be in love.  Of course, the song titles give many overt hints to that: "I Am In Love," and "Thank You For Your Love."  But, this being Antony, there is always a darkside, even to these specific proclamations.  "Thank You For Your Love," with its Motown meets Stax sound, ends with Antony crying "Thank You!" over and over in what could be an orgiastic fury or perhaps even out of desperation. 



"I Am In Love," with its jaunty gait and hypnotic organs and strings, has Antony being overwhelmed with the feelings of love, intimating that "It's too much, it's too much!."



But there are continuations of previous themes, particularly with his preoccupation with man's relationship with nature and also with death.  The gorgeous "The Great White Ocean" flows quietly with minimal strings and lightly plucked acoustic guitar, singing to his family about hoping to remain a family even on the other side:

"Swim with me my brother when I dive I don't ever want to say good bye
If you do go first or if it's me
Oh my darling brother swim with me"



Which all leads to the centerpiece, the exquisitely experimental title track, "Swanlights."  In an approximation of Radiohead's "Like Spinning Plates," the song unfolds with reverse piano, strings, and vocals, righting itself and progressing into a forceful meditation on the mysteries of nature and life itself.



After such a striking song, I thought the album might derail a bit, but it is followed with one of Antony's best songs, the quiet and meditative "The Spirit Was Gone," which is almost heartbreakingly sad and tender.  It is definitely my favorite track on the album.



Even the duet with Bjork, "Fletta," which sort of sticks out like a sore thumb on the record, moreso that Antony takes a back seat to Bjork's lead (and the odd choice to sing the song in Icelandic) than any substandard quality in the material, eventually unfolds and shows its loveliness over time.



And like the gorgeous "Everglade" on The Crying Light, Swanlights ends with another relevatory track, "Christina's Farm."  Echoing the lines from the first track, and encompassing all his favorite themes of nature, mankind, and death

"I awoke to find a whiteness inside
Everything did shine, slyly, from each body
Halos from within, diamonds the year in
As we crossed to where the Virgin Mary
Moves over the fields
Here and there, she kneels
Sighing sweet relief upon the prairie

Everything was new
Every sock and shoe
My face and your face tenderly renewed"

it closes the album with a hint of haunted resignation.



Swanlights is a difficult album to embrace at the offset.  Musically and thematically it can appear to be all over the map, but I liked the fact that it was constantly keeping me on my toes.  I don't think it matches the overall tone and brilliance of his first two albums, however, I applaud him trying to subtly change his focus without alienating his fans.  I do recommend that first time listeners to Antony & The Johnsons start with I Am A Bird and lead chronologically to Swanlights, otherwise it might be a little confusing.


Rating Guide

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 albums of the year.

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

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

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.