Best of 2023: Anohni and the Johnsons "My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross" (2023)

My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

release date: Jul. 7, 2023

format: vinyl (LTD. white vinyl) / digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]

producer: Jimmy Hogarth

label: Rough Trade / Secretly Canadian - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "It Must Change" (4 / 5) - 2. "Go Ahead" - 3. "Sliver of Ice" - 4. "Can't" (4 / 5) - 5. "Scapegoat" - 6. "It’s My Fault" (4 / 5) - 9. "Why Am I Alive Now?"

5th studio album by Anohni and the Johnsons (6th by Anohni) follows Hopelessness (May 2016) by Anohni, but more interestingly it continues after the album Swanlights (Oct. 2010), the fourth album in the discography with the Johnson-project after which Anohni put that on a hiatus while seemingly concentrating on a career under the name of Anohni and a period of collaborations and other art projects. All previous releases have been executed with Anohni as producer, but here this role is handed Jimmy Hogarth, who also takes part in the project as guitarist on all tracks. Anohni and Hogarth are the only two instrumentalists featuring on all compositions, and the choice of Hogarth is of course not just a matter of having someone else produce - as a new ingredient or someone with a new and fresh perspective. Hogarth is no novice in the British music industry, and he has recorded albums with soul-influenced artist such as Amy Winehouse, James Morrison, Sia, Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, and James Blunt - all artists with bonds to a British version of soul, and that's probably the whole idea: to pay tribute to exactly that source of inspiration.

Thirteen years is an unusual long time in the music business, but if the four studio albums by Antony and the Johnsons are your only reference, then this new album doesn't fall far from that. Anohni is back with chamber pop and pop soul as main ingredients and with an album that is dedicated inacceptable conditions for everyone sticking out on a 'normality' spectre as well as the very existence / destruction of our planet.

Critics have lauded the album as a great return, and I'm already considering it one of the absolute best by this great artist. The musical arrangements are cheerful and fillled with warmth but the lyrics and the lamenting [beautiful] voice of Anohni brings a contrasting element of grief and disaster that nontheless functions brilliantly.

I already consider this part of my top-3 list of the best albums of 2023.

Highly recommended.

The front cover portrays [activist] Marsha P. Johnson, who initially gave name to Anohni's project.

[ 👉Pitchfork 8,7 / 10, 👍NME 4 / 5, Clash 9 / 10, The Observer 5 / 5 stars ]

2023 Favourite releases: 1. Anohni and the Johnsons My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross - 2. Ukendt Kunstner Dansktop - 3. Sigur Rós Átta

Anohni "Hopelessness" (2016)

Hopelessness

release date: May 6, 2016

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]

producer: Anohni, Hudson Mohawke, Oneohtrix Point Never

label: Secretly Canadian - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Drone Bomb Me" - 2. "4 Degrees" - 3. "Watch Me" - 4. "Execution" - 5. "I Don't Love You Anymore" - 8. "Why Did You Separate Me From the Earth?" - 9. "Crisis" - 10. "Hopelessness" - 11. "Marrow"

First album released as Anohni is basically the fifth full-length studio album from Antony Hegarty - BUT, since the artist changed her name to ANOHNI (stylised in capitals), this is quite naturally a different release. Anohni is not chamber pop and art pop - the voice is there of course, but style-wise this is quite different from what people has come to associate with Antony and the Johnsons. It's a cross-over electronic album with uptempo beats and sampling as foundation, and the result is an alt. dance, electropop and synth-pop fusion with a blend of experimentation. Previous albums were all written, composed and produced by Anohni herself, whereas Hopelessness is the product of a collaborative effort. All tracks have lyrics by Anohni but the music has been made with either Ross Birchard or Daniel Lopatin, Both collabrators are credited as co-producers: Oneohtrix Point Never (aka Lopatin) and Hudson Mohawke (Birchard).

Thematically, the title may state 'bleak' and 'deep', and that's not entirely wrong. The songs are like modern protest songs about desperation in politics, concerning the environment / the planet, but musically, there's something uplifting as a contrast to the lyrical content, which makes it bareable, and ultimately: makes it succesful as music you can actually stand listening to.

The album has been met by widespread acclaim and once you're able to stop comparing with previous releases, Hopelessness frankly shines in its own right. Anohni's voice is an exceptional instrument, and the songs work as standalone compositions and as a rather diverse but nevertheless tight body of work.

Highly recommended.

[ Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, 👍NME 4 / 5, Pitchfork 9 / 10, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

Antony and the Johnsons + Charles Atlas "Turning" (2014)

Turning (A film by Charles Atlas)

release date: Nov. 10, 2014

format: cd + dvd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,76]

producer: Lucy Sexton, Vibeke Vogel

label: Rough Trade - nationality: USA

Live album and a film by Antony and the Johnsons in collaboration with American video artist Charles Atlas. The music is not a best of release but more of a soundtrack as the release is a combined film by Atlas and a soundtrack by Antony and the Johnsons. Also, the music was recorded on Nov. 4-5, at The Barbican Centre, London.

The film is not a traditional concert film but more of an art film ressembling a performance collage or art installation focussing on 13 women and gender issues. The cd soundtrack contains 17 tracks with tracks taken from various studio releases.

Turning is a most fascinating release, some tracks light up stronger in these live versions, whereas others may have worked better experienced live, but it's nevertheless a strong and vital example of the power of Antony's songs and voice in particular.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,1 / 10, Rolling Stone, NME 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Antony and the Johnsons "Cut the World" (2012)

Cut the World (live)

release date: Aug. 7, 2012

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]

producer: Karl Bjerre Skibsted

label: Rough Trade - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Cut the World" - 3. "Cripple and the Starfish" - 4. "You Are My Sister" - 6. "Epilepsy Is Dancing" - 8. "Kiss My Name" - 10. "Rapture" - 12. "Twilight"

Live album by Antony and the Johnsons recorded live with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra in recordings made Sep. 2011. The album consists of twelve tracks all but two stemming from the four studio albums and an ep by Antony and the Johnsons.

Three tracks (tracks #3, #10, #12) comes from the debut album Antony and the Johnsons (2000), one song (track #4) is taken from the second album I Am a Bird Now (2005), four tracks (tracks #6, #7, #8, #11) stem from the third album The Crying Light (2009), one song (track #5) is from the fourth album Swanlights (2010), and one track is the title song from the ep I Fell in Love With a Dead Boy (2011) (track #9); and then two tracks are new. Track #1 "Cut the World" is a song made for the play "The Life and Death of Marina Abramović" directed by Robert Wilson (2011), and track #2 ("Future Feminism") is a speech by Antony performed during one of the concerts. And then you could argue that all tracks here are new as they are all in new arrangements made by Antony, Nico Muhly, Rob Moose and Maxim Moston.

The album and the song selection is fine, there's nothing bad about it, it just doesn't entirely sum up the strong energy and the best performances by Antony but there's still something special about the arrangements made for a chamber orchestra, and imho, it doesn't necessarily, in every instance, bring out the best versions of the material. They do, however, present alternate dimensions to his work, and for many reasons, Antony's music is perfect for orchestral arrangements, and The Danish National Orchestra seems made for this kind of music. Antony... well, he naturally sings and performs so elegantly that it alone heightens the whole experience. I for one, now prefer both studio and live versions.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, 👉Pitchfork 8,1 / 10, NME, Drowned in Sound 4 / 5 stars ]

Antony and the Johnsons "Swanlights" (2010)

Swanlights
release date: Oct. 11, 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]
producer: Antony Hegarty
label: Rough Trade - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "The Great White Ocean" - 3. "Ghost" - 4. "I'm in Love" - 8. "Thank You for Your Love" - 9. "Flétta" (feat. Björk)

4th studio album by Antony and the Johnsons following nearly two years after The Crying Light (Jan. 2009) - released by Secretly Canadian (Rough Trade for the European market). The style is somewhat unchanged with Antony's melancholic piano-founded mourning stories with less focus on traditional instrumentation in the exchange of orchestral arrangements with an end result that appears both touching on a neo-classical score and a more naked and simple expression. This way it appears as his most quiet and intimate so far. All tracks are (as usual) composed by Antony Hegarty except two written together with classical composer Nico Muhly, and the track "Flétta" co-written by Björk.
The album was generally met by critical acclaim, although, I just don't find that the album reach the height of its two giant predecessors and imho it just sits low in Antony's discography. I'm possibly missing some point here. I find that the stories are intact, Antony's voice also, there's lot's of sincerity and strong emotions but the strong compositions don't escape the surface.
[ allmusic.com, BBC Music, Mojo, Uncut 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,7 / 10 stars ]

Antony and the Johnsons "The Crying Light" (2009)

The Crying Light
release date: Jan. 20, 2009
format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Antony Hegarty
label Secretly Canadian - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground" (4 / 5) - 2. "Epilepsy Is Dancing" (4 / 5) - 3. "One Dove" - 4. "Kiss My Name" (4 / 5) - 6. "Another World" - 7. "Daylight and the Sun" - 9. "Dust and Water" - 10. "Everglade"

3rd studio album by Antony and the Johnsons is yet another strong release. Stylistically, it's like a new chapter to the brilliant I Am a Bird Now (2005), only, there's a more subtle tone or obscure sentiment giong on here as a turn to a more lyrical content.

The album has been met by positive reviews and it's perhaps seen as the band's peak. I only find that it contains a few fillers without the same high quality, but perhaps I just don't get the intimate message, and then tracks #1, #2, and #4 are still all worth this album.
The front cover features a 1977 photograph by Naoya Ikegami of iconic butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Pitchfork 8,6 / 10, Los Angeles Times, Uncut, 👍NME 4 / 5, Spin 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Antony and the Johnsons "I Am a Bird Now" (2005)

I Am a Bird Now
release date: Feb. 1, 2005
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: Antony Hegarty
label: Secretly Canadian - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Hope There's Someone" (5 / 5) (live) - 2. "My Lady Story" (4,5 / 5) (live) - 3. "For Today I Am a Bouy" (4 / 5) (live) - 4. "Man Is the Baby" (4 / 5) (live) - 5. "You Are My Sister" (4 / 5) - 7. "Fistful of Love" - 8. "Spiralling" - 10. "Bird Gerhl" (4 / 5) (live)

2nd studio album by Antony and the Johnsons follows five whole years after the promissing debut, and like that, this is written, composed and produced by Antony Hegarty.
The style is much stronger and solidified on this compared to the first one out - the end result is a marvellous improvement to a fine debut as the album simply contains a wide range of great compositions. It features several well-renowned artists such as: Rufus Wainwright (track #6), Devandra Banhart (tracks #5 and #8), Boy George (track #5), and Lou Reed (track #7) - the latter has often played at live concerts featuring guest appearance by Antony.
The album release was five years under its way but considering the small attention that was attributed the debut, this album took a remarkable step into the limelight. I Am a Bird Now won the British music award The Mercury Prize ahead of artists such as Bloc Party, Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs, and M.I.A. to mention but a few, which secured the album the biggest jump ever seen on the British album chart list, going from an initial position as number #135 to number #16 in the period of one week only.
It's a great and modern classic album and in retrospect it's also the best from Antony and the Johnsons. The front cover features an iconic photograph titled "Candy on her deathbed" of [Andy Warhol star] Candy Darling by Peter Hujar.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 4 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 8,6 / 10 stars ]

Antony and the Johnsons "Antony and The Johnsons" (2000)

Antony and the Johnsons [debut]
release date: Feb. 8, 2000
format: cd (2004 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Antony Hegarty
label: Secretly Canadian - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Twilight" - 2. "Cripple and the Starfish" (4 / 5) - 4. "The Atrocities" - 5. "River of Sorrow" - 6. "Rapture" - 8. "Divine" - 9. "Blue Angel"

Studio album debut by Antony and the Johnsons originally released on the small independent label Durtro is an album written, composed and produced by vocalist Antony Hegarty. The band is basically a project centered around (British born) US-resided singer and keyboardist Hegarty, although, his 'collaborators' are a stable unit but also a wide range of musicians of 7-8 persons.
It took me some time to get accustomed with Antony Hegarty's voice but I soon found it surreal, out-of-this-world. Also, I found that he sounded much like Bryan Ferry but he's anything but a clone or a copy, and the music is wonderful theatre-like. This was the first album I listened to by Antony Hegarty though it's not my favourite from this project. Unfortunately, it should take Hegarty another five years before revealing his next full album.
Still, this is a very good place to start.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]