The Crying Light

The Age

Friday January 16, 2009

Michael Dwyer

The Crying Light

Antony and the Johnsons

(Spunk) 3.5/5

ANTONY Hegarty's extraordinary voice is a double-edged implement. His emotionally saturated trill usually disarms on first listen but, without relief, the throaty vibrato that wrings every second word can sound awfully like mannered melodrama. The ache and ecstasy of his third, classically orchestrated opus thus seems to teeter between angelic missive and overly earnest breast-beating. The sobbing starts on the first beat: Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground is a sombre chamber piece that announces the alternately sad and comforting theme of a conscious and caring planet. Daylight and the Sun is a multi-act celebration thereof; Another World is a plaintive farewell to it; the swelling drone of Dust and Water puts it under the microscope in search of elemental unity. The almost upbeat Epilepsy is Dancing is welcome respite from the teary timbre, but the most prayer-like song of all, One Dove, is the one that marries emotion, melody and elegance to the most stunning effect. Whether you want to hug him or slap him, Antony has found his pitch and calling, and he's not taking either of them lightly. -- MICHAEL DWYER

© 2009 The Age

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