Albums to watch

Swanlights

Antony And The Johnsons

Swanlights

Fourth studio album from the chamber pop New York band fronted by Antony Hegarty

ADM rating[?]

7.4

Label
Rough Trade
UK Release date
11/10/2010
  1. 9.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    As a song cycle, Swanlights is certainly Antony's stronges
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  2. 8.5 |   Prefix

    Swanlights may not be the best of his works, but it is a welcome excursion along the path of his career
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  3. 8.5 |   Bowlegs

    A multi-layered and interesting set that most will admire if nothing else
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  4. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    As it slowly unravels, you’re swept up by its lyrical beauty
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  5. 8.0 |   The Observer

    For all its orchestral flourishes, this feels like Antony's most mature offering yet
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  6. 8.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    What Antony Hegarty is trying to tell us is often a riddle, but it's never less than beautifully wrought
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  7. 8.0 |   Spin

    Antony extracts a poignancy that beautifully matches his music
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  8. 8.0 |   Q

    He'll always be too mannered for mainstream acceptance, there's unarguable brilliance here. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Cryptic and allusive The Crying Light is prone to visions and ecstasies. Print edition only

  10. 8.0 |   Uncut

    All the elements of old are there - his voice, those lyrical hankerings to melt away from the limits of life. Print edition only

  11. 8.0 |   BBC

    This is a record that revels in a sense of joy
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  12. 8.0 |   FasterLouder

    Swanlights is more of a expansion or evolution of Hegarty’s songwriting than any kind of departure from the script as some have suggested
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  13. 8.0 |   Blurt

    Antony's Icelandic duet with avant-garde songstress Björk, that is the most terrifying and beautiful number of all
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  14. 8.0 |   State

    Hegarty is a rare breed of quality that elevates far higher than any of his peers in the music business
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  15. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    Swanlights is another strong performance in a discography full of them
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  16. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Antony sounds like he’s finally on solid footing
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  17. 7.7 |   Pitchfork

    Swanlights might be Antony's richest album yet, with musical and thematic charms that take their time to take their hold
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  18. 7.0 |   Clash

    Another intriguing piece in Antony’s beautifully strange journey
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  19. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    Everything may not be that new, but as ever with Hegarty, it's well worth a listen
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  20. 7.0 |   NME

    Cements Hegarty as the transgender Joanna Newsome
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  21. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    If your emotional understanding of the world could be contained within a building, Antony would be Tyler Durden, blowing it to the ground
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  22. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    It’s still an album that contains peerless highs ... but a more dynamic reconstruction of the Johnsons’ core sound would be most welcome next time around
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  23. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    For all its bravery and experimentation, Swanlights may have benefitted from one or two more direct tunes
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  24. 6.0 |   The Independent

    Extends further the notions of fauna, flux and transformation that have driven Antony's music since I Am A Bird Now
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  25. 6.0 |   Under The Radar

    The most compelling moments of Swanlights come when Antony and the musicians dim the lights for a more intimate approach
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  26. 6.0 |   Eye Weekly

    In 2010...Antony’s voice is less of a shock
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  27. 6.0 |   The Digital Fix

    At times beautiful, this is however a bit of a disappointment
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  28. 6.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    Swanlights certainly won’t be getting drive-time airplay, but it’s uniquely imaginative music
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Antony And The Johnsons: Swanlights

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