I just LOVE his new album; I had never heard the previous ones before, and i was strucked.
What a voice, what a songwriter, what a band, and what a personality !!!
To me he's one of the ultimate acts of the decade.
What do you think of him ?
Somebody seen him live ? Anyway his concert in Paris is sold out
Antony is definetely one of my favourite artists of this decade. New album was (and still is) a little disappointment (the songs aren't as good as in his previous albums). However I have listened to it surprisingly much.
I Am a Bird Now is my favourite album of 2005 and in top 5 of the whole decade. Debut album is also very very good.
And don't forget his EP's. For example there is Mysteries of Love -cover (original by Julee Cruise) in 'I Fell in Love with the Dead Boy' EP. It's maybe the best cover song ever.
I saw Antony live two years ago and the concert was one of the best of that year. There were 8 or 9 members in the band (two violinist, cellist and some wind instrument players etc.) And then there were Antony with his magnificent voice. His singing voice is maybe even better live than in albums. The concert lasted over two hours and the voice sounded great in every song.
I haven't heard his/her last album but the second one is awesome. I love that album!
About seeing him/her playing live I saw him/her in a Lou Reed concert on a sweet summer night. Lou was touring to support "The Raven" in 2004 doing wonderful "unplugged" concerts with an excellent backing band including Mike Rathke on guitar, long-time buddy Fernando Saunders on bass guitar, impressive cello player Jane Scarpantoni and an unknown singer that remained seated all the show doing discreet backing vocals. But at the end of the show Lou introduced the singer as Antony, he/she got up and sang with a trembling voice and mannered movements the wonderful Velvet tune "Candy Says". People started to look at each other and didn't know what to do, to laugh or to come in ecstasy. I was one of the second group, no doubt.
I heard the second album yesterday for the first time and find it as good as than the new one.
He's an incredible vocalist. Really moving.
I'm afraid a lot of people feel uncomfortable because of his being a queer. Too bad
Well, Nicolas, in fairness, it's not just the fact that Antony is "queer" that puts some people off - there are lots of openly (or kind of openly) gay pop stars these days. Antony, however, is a 6-foot-4 transgender-identified man whose songs are mostly about his highly personal struggles and whose voice is - let's face it - a love-it or hate-it proposition like few other vocalists I can think of. I happen to be a big fan; on the other hand, my best friend just bought the DARK WAS THE NIGHT compilation, which features an Antony track, and was SO immediately turned off by his voice that he couldn't even get through the whole song.
As I said, I'm a fan; it would be easy to simply be PC and applaud his bravery for being so open about who he is and what he's experienced, but the music's got the goods as well - intimate, artistically exacting (maybe a little too much), and occasionally breathtakingly beautiful.
You're right, it may also be a question of voice.
It's funny because I heard him for the first time 2 years ago. My sister in law's a fan, she played me the album, and I remember thinking "he's a Bryan Ferry imitator" and losing interest.
It's like Tom Waits (I love), or Murat in France (I hate his voice)
i just bought "i am a bird now" yesterday. i LOVE it. i would put it in the top 5 of this decade. now that i see allmusic has rated the new one even higher, i'm incredibly excited. if i see it at a reasonable price, i'll certainly pick it up.
before i bought the album, i had never heard an antony and the johnsons song and had no idea who "antony" is. after reading some posts here, i looked up some pictures of him. i can imagine how that might put some people off. maybe knowing nothing about him before hearing his music was an advantage. i've always believed that you just can't discriminate when it comes to music (all artists, really). the best music comes from the strangest people. i almost think that's part of the beauty of it.
Hate to be the party pooper, but I find his new one underwhelming. A disappointment after "I Am a Bird Now," which is one of my top 50 or 60 of the decade.