Swanlights
Antony & the Johnsons
Secretly Canadian Records.
Original SCQ Review
It was fitting to pull open the curtains, one morning after receiving Swanlights in the mail, to see an unexpected snowfall covering my view. Ever since investing myself in I Am a Bird Now back in November of 2005, Antony and the Johnsons’ work has exclusively complimented the isolated grip of winter, onwards to Another World EP, The Crying Light, etc.
As traditional as Antony’s presence is around this time of year, it’s something of a game-changer that Swanlights gives off some promising spring vibes; the fresh-faced ‘Thank You For Your Love’ emancipates ‘Fistful Of Love’’s template where elsewhere ‘The Great White Ocean’ exercise a plethora of warm and loose acoustics. That sunny disposition adds a new dimension to Antony’s typically stark surroundings, hinting at a gradual overhaul of what we’ve assumed are Hegarty’s strengths. I said it last year, when The Crying Light graduated to SCQ’s Top Albums List, that Antony can virtually sing in any style and render it completely new. If he continues to let his boundaries evaporate, there's no telling what kind of masterwork Hegarty might create.
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