Antony And The Johnsons : Crying Light

2009 release, the highly anticipated follow-up to I Am a Bird Here, Antony shifts the thematic focus and explores his relationship with the elemental and natural world, and the intimacy of the Johnsons' sound is enveloped by subtle symphonic arrangements. The first moments of 'Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground' set the stage, conjuring an animist world with enigmatic lyrics, painterly clarinet lines, and a lilting piano that cradles the listener over a menacing quarry of strings. The record's centerpiece, 'Another World', traces despair in the face of a vanishing landscape. The hypnotic vocal on 'Dust and Water' unfurls like smoke, and the track 'Everglade', co-arranged with Nico Muhly, concludes the album.