I am a Bird Now

Amazon.com
It’s not often that an album released in January gets called one of the best of the year in near-unison, but the second full length by Antony and the Johnsons is so startlingly beautiful that it simply has to be. Like his friend and compatriot Devendra Banhart, Antony is a super-talented singer-songwriter with a flair for dramatic artsong. But the cherubic Antony is so original he must get mistaken for an alien quite often; he sings like a bluesy opera singer and switches timbre from masculine to feminine in the space of a breath. The only vocal comparison that comes close is Nina Simone. Antony’s honest lyrics deal with deep wounds and troubled desires with matter of fact poetry and subtle humor, as in a short story by JT LeRoy. Aided and abetted by a versatile band that’s often closer to chamber orchestra than rock act, Antony delivers a visionary album with I Am A Bird Now. Oh yeah: Rufus Wainwright, Devendra, Lou Reed and Boy George all appear on here, too. --Mike McGonigal

I am a Bird Now,Antony and the Johnsons,Secretly Canadian,Baroque Pop,Chamber Pop,Indie Pop,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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I am a Bird Now

Average customer rating: Moody and evocative Antony & The johnsons A great voice, unusual Either good or bad, this will affect you A Bride on Fire

I am a Bird Now Antony and the Johnsons Manufacturer: Secretly Canadian ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Chamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Baroque Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man Martha Wainwright Let It Die Fox Confessor Brings the Flood Feels ASIN: B000777J2S Release Date: 2005-02-01

Tracks:

1. Hope There's Someone
2. My Lady Story
3. For Today I Am A Bouy
4. Man Is The Baby
5. You Are My Sister
6. What Can I Do?
7. Fistful Of Love
8. Spiralling
9. Free At Last
10. Bird Gurhl

Amazon.com

It's not often that an album released in January gets called one of the best of the year in near-unison, but the second full length by Antony and the Johnsons is so startlingly beautiful that it simply has to be. Like his friend and compatriot Devendra Banhart, Antony is a super-talented singer-songwriter with a flair for dramatic artsong. But the cherubic Antony is so original he must get mistaken for an alien quite often; he sings like a bluesy opera singer and switches timbre from masculine to feminine in the space of a breath. The only vocal comparison that comes close is Nina Simone. Antony's honest lyrics deal with deep wounds and troubled desires with matter of fact poetry and subtle humor, as in a short story by JT LeRoy. Aided and abetted by a versatile band that's often closer to chamber orchestra than rock act, Antony delivers a visionary album with I Am A Bird Now. Oh yeah: Rufus Wainwright, Devendra, Lou Reed and Boy George all appear on here, too. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

Moody and evocative.......2007-06-08

Got a bit of Nina Simone going on here and if you are into Nina you're likely going to enjoy this. It's torch music that's a shade or three sadder.

I bought this on hearing 'You are my sister' on Letterman. Loved that tune, but a whole album of basically the same thing may be a turn off for some folks - it can be a bit tedious.

It's a love it or hate it sort of thing. Not for everyone, but that might be why it's so special.

Antony & The johnsons.......2007-05-19

I couldn't be more pleased with the speed of service and quality of the product.

A great voice, unusual.......2007-05-12

I had been recommended this singer and the music by family abroad. It came up to the glowing reports they gave of it. Thanks!

Either good or bad, this will affect you.......2007-04-12

You can't listen to this and not feel something. Whether it's confusion, annoyance, or awe you are feeling - it's anything but your run of the mill music.
I can't stop listening to Fistful of Love. It gives me chills and makes me want to cry every time I hear it. It's not often you come by music that powerful.

A Bride on Fire.......2007-04-10

It's been a long time since I last felt the desire to share my thoughts on an album. True, I've never been a prolific reviewer. In the past, however, I was more receptive of things musical. Or should I say I was more easily enthused? Quicker at becoming attuned to the ways in which a textual object would lend itself to interpretation? Perhaps I was a keener semiotician then, or liked to think that I was. Perhaps I was more naïve and confident that I could grasp the complexities behind art, or at least that I might be able to uncover (and then convey) one possible meaning treasured within a work of art. Sadly, a lot has changed in my life over the past two and a half years.

Most significantly, I have been through an experience which seems to me to be so close to the one Antony describes incredibly well in I am a Bird Now, by means of the lyrics and the singing style employed. Does he really describe it though? I can't positively say. It sometimes seems like a fallacy on my part, like an easy projection of my life onto suggestions which are polysemous and poetic more than they are specific to any one situation. However, this realization would lead to self-censuring and self-castration. So let's for a minute pretend I'm right. Let's assume that I am a Bird Now is about Loss, about Grieving, about finding Reason or at least Hope and some Beauty in the midst of personal tragedy. Let's presume that it talks about the suffering of someone who doesn't feel at ease in their environment, both physical and psychological.

That Antony is a gender-bending artist is a given. That there is ample use of metaphor in his lyrics is likewise undeniable. While this contributes to making the songs feel painfully sincere, it doesn't strike me as central. Beyond Antony's gender-defying verbal and vocal renditions (which account for my lax use of pronouns), there seems to be a core topic, that of abandonment and loneliness, the sense that something has happened to place the bird in a cage, making it unable to fly. That's how the album starts off. If I am a Bird Now is indeed a story about survival and widowhood, as I like to see it, then it seems also to be a story about communication with those who have left us. There are many instances in which I see the unrequited monologue of the widow to her (my) loved one and her (my) faith that silent answers can be heard through unexpected channels. That's how pain and love become inextricably intertwined well beyond common masochism. Ultimately, the narration seems to develop toward some kind of solution, although it is more about resolve and wishful thinking than it is about actual recovery. It's an animal-like instinct to move on to a new prey, not by virtue of a predatory urge in and of itself, but for the sake of life over death. The most innocent of impulses, the one that truly allows for the bird gerhl to fly and then go to heaven.

Is it all a fallacy on my part, or is I am a Bird Now really to be taken so seriously? I do not know, nor do I care. What I do know is that listening to it made me cry those tears that I had been withholding up until then. That it stirred me and made me feel like someone was expressing the emotions that I myself was unable to express, even though I wanted to and needed to. What I do know is that this is the one CD that I have been wanting to review since I first listened to it, breaking my two and a half year reserve. While this doesn't make my assumptions any more accurate, it does pay honour to Antony and the Johnsons and to I am a Bird Now. This is a thank you, as well as a heartfelt five-star review.

Average customer rating:

Early Recordings Manufacturer: Preiser Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Flotow | Flotow, Friedrich von | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stenhammar | Stenhammar, Wilhelm | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005LAHC Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

1. Mignon: Slummersang
2. Lohengrin: Kungens Bon
3. Macbeth: Bancos Aria
4. Ernani: Silvas Aria
5. Jeg Har Sogt
6. Solvet
7. Zigenarvisa
8. Martha: Portervisa
9. Muntra Fruarna I Windsor
10. Halsning
11. Vad Har Vi Alske
12. Morgon
13. I Djupa Kallarvalvet
14. Jatten
15. Eugen Onegin: Gremins Aria
16. Paulus: Jag Tackar Dig, Herre
17. La Boheme: Rockaria
18. Hugenotterna: Marcels Hugenottsang
19. Hur Ljuvt Det Ar Att Komma
20. Den Store Hvide Flok
21. Per Svinaherde
22. Barnets Bon
23. Lovsang (I Himlar Sjungen)
24. En Sangers Bon

Tracks:

1. Aftonsang
2. Nu Ar Det Natt
3. Stjarnoga
4. Du Ar Min Ro
5. Flyttfaglarna
6. Sjorovaren
7. Trollhattan
8. Bachanal
9. Jeg Er Fra Norge, Og Jeg Er God
10. Sidste Reis
11. Manga Drommar
12. Kan Det Troste
13. Ravnen Han Flyver Om Aftnen
14. Kong Frode Star Pa Leiregard
15. Jeg Vil Ud
16. Der Skreg En Fugl
17. Messa Da Requiem: Confutatis Maledictis
18. Lohengrin: Kungens Bon
19. Die Zauberflote: O Isis Und Osiris
20. Die Zauberflote: In Diesen Heil' Gen Hallen
21. Die Hugenotten: O Gott, Steh' Jetzt Mir Bei
22. Lohengrin: Gott Gruss' Euch, Liebe Manner

Average customer rating:

My Own Country: An English Song Collection Manufacturer: Asv Gold ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Holst | Holst, Gustav | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Warlock | Warlock, Peter | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B0001JSSAE Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

1. Country Courtship: O Mistress Mine
2. Country Courtship: The Trellis
3. Country Courtship: My Heart Is Like A Singing Bird
4. To Music: Speak, Music, Op.41 No.2
5. To Music: In Moonlight
6. To Music: Music, When Soft Voices Die
7. To Music: Music And Moonlight
8. Love's Philosophy: Pleading, Op.48 No.I
9. Love's Philosophy: Twilight, Op. 59 No.6
10. Love's Philosophy: Under The Greenwood Tree
11. Love's Philosophy: Strew No More Red Roses
12. Love's Philosophy: Love's Philosphy
13. Country Scenes: Ha'nacker Mill
14. Country Scenes: My Own Country
15. Country Scenes: I Have Twelve Oxen
16. Country Scenes: Go, Lovely Rose
17. Country Scenes: Go Not, Happy Day, H34
18. Night And Dawn: Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal
19. Night And Dawn: Sleep
20. Night And Dawn: The Night
21. Night And Dawn: The White Peace
22. Night And Dawn: Ushas
23. Children's Corner: The Blue-Eyes Fairy, Op.78
24. Children's Corner: Missing
25. Children's Corner: Politeness
26. Children's Corner: Halfway Down
27. Children's Corner: Lines Written By A Bear Of Very Little Brain
28. Children's Corner: Henry King
29. Children's Corner: Matilda
30. Envoys: When I Am Dead, My Dearest
31. Envoys: Good-Night

Average customer rating:

I Am a Bird Now Antony and the Johnsons Manufacturer: Rough Trade ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Chamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Baroque Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B0007GFG5Q Release Date: 2005-04-12

Tracks:

1. Hope There's Someone
2. My Lady Story
3. For Today I Am a Bouy
4. Man Is the Baby
5. You Are My Sister
6. What Can I Do?
7. Fistful of Love
8. Spiralling
9. Free at Last
10. Bird Guhl

Album Description

Singer-songwriter/pianist Antony is one of those rare artists who, while not unprecedented, still emerges as singular. His is an an arresting vibrato and his presence is gender-anxious and confrontational in its vulnerability. His fey yet firm poise is quivering, tension fraught, but never engulfingly overwrought. Menored by Lou Reed, Boy George, Rufus Wainright and Devendra Barnhart, Antony presents a unique spectoral sound of faded, frayed glamour. This his second album I am a Bird Now is a polished gilded productions including a bluesy purr worthy of Nina Simone in "My Lady Story" and "Fistful of Love," with its Muscle Shoals horn blurts-meet-Weimar cabaret swoons via The Velvet Underground's shuffle. As a whole, I Am a Bird Now exhibits a downy affinity for androgynous eccentricity. Rough Trade. 2005.

Average customer rating:

The Lesser Known Nielsen, Vol. 4 Manufacturer: Rondo Grammofon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Nielsen | Nielsen, Carl | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000009K5L Release Date: 1995-03-23

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3. Il Divo
4. Illinois
5. In Between Dreams
6. It Takes Two
7. It Was Written [Clean]
8. Jacksonville City Nights
9. Just Reality
10. Keepin' It Roudy and Cloudy

Rap Music

rap music

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