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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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The Crying Light
by Antony And The Johnsons
The third album for the Antony Hegarty-led band features music arrangements by Nico Muhly.
| LABEL: |
Secretly Canadian |
| RELEASE DATE: |
20 January 2009 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rock, Indie, Pop |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Tiny Mix Tapes
If you let it work its magic, it will--no matter how unfashionable or cloying it may seem at a glance. It’s music to get absorbed by.
100
Los Angeles Times
As music, it's simply exquisite--more controlled and considered than anything Antony and the Johnsons have done and sure to linger in the minds of listeners for more than a season.
91
Entertainment Weekly
The Crying Light--a haunting collection of ballads that play like transmissions from a mournful, elegant alien--nearly equals its predecessor.
90
All Music Guide
Whatever hopes you held in the aftermath of "I Am a Bird Now," they have been exponentially exceeded in poetry, music, and honesty here.
88
Paste Magazine
The Crying Light, reaches out from the band’s investment in gender issues to grapple with nature of a different sort: the earth, familial relationships and a life-force passed on. The scope of the record spans generations, but retains a sense of communion with its listener.
86
Pitchfork
Simultaneously sparse and rich, The Crying Light mines maximum intensity from a relatively minimal mix of basic melodies, pithy lyrics, and understated arrangements.
80
Boston Globe
This deeply introspective album is vast in scope while retaining the intimacy of a concert-hall recital.
80
New Musical Express
With The Crying Light Antony And The Johnsons continue to explore the creative boundaries of pop while covering all emotional bases. For that, they should be celebrated.
80
Observer Music Monthly
That The Crying Light vibrates with confidence will be no surprise to anyone who witnessed last year's remarkable shows at London's Barbican.
80
No Ripcord
The Crying Light shows us that there is one medium of output that will undoubtedly remain his most naturally beautiful, his most perfect fit.
80
Hartford Courant
Hegarty wrote and helped to arrange all the songs on The Crying Light, and his writing bears the same pensive sensitivity as his singing on what amounts to a spellbinding album.
80
Uncut
The Crying Light shows Antony boldly, indefatigably following his own eccentric star.
80
musicOMH.com
At times, you won't hear a more beautiful album this year, and there are enough heart-stoppingly dramatic moments on here to more than justify all the excited pre-release anticipation.
80
Mojo
It's an ideal January release, time enough for Antony's spacious, textured odyssey to sink in before those Album Of The Year polls come round again. [Feb 2009, p.104]
80
NOW Magazine
Hegarty sounds more in control of his remarkable voice than ever before, and this new restraint suits him. When you’ve got this much emotive power at your fingertips, it’s wise to reel it in a bit.
77
cokemachineglow
The Crying Light may prove to be too precarious to hold up on its own in the future, but for now Antony & the Johnsons have provided a perfect gateway to their music.
75
The Phoenix
It's heartbreakingly gorgeous, and if it's sometimes easy to miss the club-kid joie de vivre Antony brought to last year's brilliant Hercules and Love Affair album, well, that disc didn't have this one's lush Nico Muhly string arrangements.
70
Sputnikmusic
If you were one of the many that loved "I Am A Bird Now" when it was released, then you'll undoubtedly enjoy this just as much.
70
Delusions of Adequacy
The Crying Light may not be as directly moving or as astounding as its predecessor, it’s a fine album on its own.
70
Spin
Antony and the Johnsons' third full-length wisely focuses on the frontman's enormous talent, with Nico Muhly's classical arrangements plinking and waltzing but never overpowering.
70
Slant Magazine
Antony's performances are always classy as well as unequivocally odd.
70
The New York Times
Taken as a whole, this album feels less managed than its predecessor, and more hollow. Also, the lyrics tend toward the ecstatic, largely skipping the teasing questions about gender and identity that lent his previous work additional piquancy.
60
Dusted Magazine
As an album, The Crying Light is neither as revelatory nor as consistent as "I Am A Bird Now."
60
Rolling Stone
Antony Hegarty's tremulous warble is a strange and marvelous instrument--and for many, an acquired taste. The Crying Light, this diva-dude's third album, spotlights his haunting vocals with few distractions, using piano and low-key orchestral arrangements as foils for him to swoop and shiver over.
60
The Guardian
The album's big problem is not a lack of quality; it's the feeling that you've been here before, or you've been somewhere so like here as to make little difference.
40
PopMatters
The Crying Light is a record that effectively changes Antony’s character and makes him a difficult entity to relate to, forcing him more into the realm of animatronics than human existence.
The average user rating for this album is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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