During the mid 90s Antony started solo; after originally producing songs with the Blacklips and other late-night cabarets he had a number of songs to work with. In 1995 he assembled a backing group, the self-styled Antony and the Johnsons, and began to focus on the musical side of his performances. The group built up a cult following at hip New York clubs such as the Kitchen and Knitting Factory. Antony then received a NYFA for “performance art/emergent forms” which he used to record the Johnsons’ debut album “Blue Angel”, that remained unreleased until Current 93 leader David Tibet signed Antony and the Johnsons to his Durtro label. The cast list of musicians on the album, released under the title “Antony and the Johnsons” in 1998, included transsexual artist Baby Dee (harp), Francois Gehin (bass), Todd Cohen (drums), Charles Neilson (guitar), and a number of string and woodwind players. This album later were reissued in 2000 and in 2004 by Secretly Canadian. This collection of modern torch songs highlighted Antony’s soulful, multi-octave vocals and the Johnsons’ graceful chamber pop arrangements, reaching a peak on “Cripple And The Starfish” and “Divine”, the latter a tribute to the late transvestite movie star. Further recordings by Antony and the Johnsons emerged in the early years of the new millennium, including “I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy” and a shared EP “Live at St. Olave’s” with Current 93, recorded live at Saint Olave’s Church in London, England. In early 2001 released 3 song EP “I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy”, included covers of Mysteries of Love (Appeared originally on the film Blue Velvet) and Soft Black Stars. Split EP included two new songs from the Johnsons, the first being You Stand Above Me, only one minute and thirty-six seconds long but containing all the melancholy and drama one would expect from the Johnsons. The other new track was The Lake which was an 1827 poem written by Edgar Allan Poe beautifully adapted to song. The Johnsons appear with Current 93 again on a 7”, with side B including the song Virgin Mary. This was limited to 500 copies, both released May 12th, 2003. By now the line-up of the Johnsons featured Todd Cohen, Jeff Langston (bass), Jason Hart (piano), Julia Kent (cello), Joan Wasser (violin), and Maxim Moston (violin). It was around this time that Lou Reed heard the “I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy” EP. Reed then recruited Antony for his album The Raven for guest vocals and took him on tour in 2003 which meant that Antony appeared on Lou’s live album Animal Serenade. With the band now attracting wider attention, Antony and the Johnsons signed to US based label Secretly Canadian. Secretly Canadian then reissued the band’s debut to a wider audience in the USA. The Lake was released the following year through the new label. It’s another 3 song EP including “The Lake” - Lou Reed appeared on Fistful of Love with guest vocals and guitar. The Horror Has Gone seems to be Antony expressing the end of a depressing phase in his life, a real positive lyrical change from his debut style. In February 2005 Antony and the Johnsons released their second full length, I Am A Bird Now. It has guest appearances from Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, Lou Reed and Boy George. It went on to receive great critical acclaim in the UK and won Antony the Technics Mercury Music Prize for 2005. The 5-song Another World EP was released on October 7, 2008. As promised it shows a mixture of continuation of earlier songs’ atmosphere as well as more experimental work. Antony and the Johnsons’ third album, “The Crying Light”, is anticipated on January 21, 2009. Additional details have yet to be made known, but Antony has described the theme of the album as being “about landscape and the future”. http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/ |
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