Antony and the Johnsons
Another World
(Secretly Canadian)
The eco-apocalyptic title track, “Another World,” off this five-song EP—a prelude to a full 2009 release—is so viscerally sad and full of loss that it’s guaranteed to make tears well and neck hair stand on end. Mixing fragility and strength like Nina Simone, Nico or Chet Baker, artist/singer Antony Hegarty and his piano ballads are heartwrenchingly vulnerable, and perfect for an indulgent night of cabaret and despair. Lovers of his Mercury-winning last album I Am a Bird Now won’t be disappointed and new fans will be delighted by “Shake The Devil,” which turns into a horn-heavy, hand-clapper like “See-Line Woman.”
—Sue Carter Flinn
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2008.