Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Antony And The Johnsons

I Am A Bird Now

Label: Rough Trade Release Date: 30/05/2005

8556
agibbons by Anthony Gibbons May 31st, 2005

Antony And The Johnsons are led by New Yorker Antony - actor (he played an androgynous convict in Steve Buscemi’s Animal Factory), artist, but above all musician with an utterly unique look, style and indeed voice.

I Am A Bird Now, his second album proper but first for Rough Trade, wrestles with disease, love, sexual identity and is shot through with red blooded passion. It also boasts a stellar supporting line up: on ‘You Are My Sister’, Boy George puts in his best vocal performance in aeons, possibly since ‘The Crying Game’ (yes, really). Rufus Wainwright is heavenly, Devendra Banhart disturbing, and Lou Reed is, well, Lou Reed.

Indeed, Antony supported Reed on tour and contributed to two of his albums, namely The Raven and Animal Serenade. Here Reed whispers lustfully away at the start of the heartbreaking ‘Fistful Of Love’, a song that takes its title from a Mark Almond poem, ‘L’esqualita’, and another that sets domestic abuse to a heartbreaking, Motown-esque epic (sample lyrics: "I feel your fist and I know it’s out of love... I feel your burning eyes burn holes straight to my heart").

Then there’s that voice, distinctive and deeply unsettling. Comparisons could be made with David Byrne (particularly on the lovelorn ‘Bird Girls'), Otis Redding and Cat Stevens, among many others. Indeed, one startled friend told this writer that Antony has “The sexiest voice since Jeff Buckley”.

It’s not an exaggeration. This isn’t hype. I Am A Bird Now is a beautiful, emotive, glorious, and sometimes sinister album that will top many a critic's list come the end-of-year polls, and justifiably so.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going off to play the whole fucking thing again and have a damn good cry. Ahem...

  • 10
    Anthony Gibbons's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees


  • A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash



Left-arrow

Various, Goldrush, Objects, Turncoat

Ejector Seat Vol. 1: 'The Theme Is Music'

Mobback
8575

The Forecast

Late Night Conversations

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143
  • news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141

    news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139
  • Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138

    Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137
  • Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136

    Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
  • Festival Review


    25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11

  • 106134
MORE


GREATEST HITS

    feature


    Carnivals of the Grotesque: Nick Cave on Dig, L...

  • 33717
  • review


    Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks

  • 26283

    DiScover


    DiScover: Lykke Li

  • 36032
  • feature


    Discography reassessed: Bright Eyes in perspective

  • 77693

    feature


    Portishead discuss Third

  • 34958
  • Column


    DiS does Singles: Johnny Borrell - Erotic Lette...

  • 91479

    feature


    "The Strokes fucking suck!" - DiS meets Steve A...

  • 59630
  • feature


    No Surprises? 15 Classic Albums of 15 Years Ago

  • 82815
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2023 DROWNED IN SOUND