I Am a Bird Now

I was really excited to hear this album given all the big names as guest artists, but I found it hard to get past Anohni's voice and style, I think, sadly. Even though it sounds quite a bit different, I was reminded of that Moby album that incorporated vintage recordings, which was an interesting idea but ended up flattening out everything. I can see why this album got dropped in later editions of the 1001 Albums project.

Not bad, but not really my taste in music.

7/10. Definitely wasn’t in the mood for this type of music but sometimes I am so I’ll rate it as though i was

Nothing if not unique. Gloomy and emotional. His voice was too much at times with the vibrato. Not something I'm probably ever going to listen to by choice unless I'm contemplating suicide.

first listen i don't the music is very good, also i didn't connect with the lyrics and especially the vocal style

ANOHNI’s work hasn’t quite clicked with me in the past, so going into this one with an open mind. It starts out beautifully, Hope There’s Someone is an outstanding opener. Fistful of Love is another highlight. I enjoyed this quite a lot and I can see why the album is included on this list. It’s not an album I’ll come back to often, but I’m very happy to have experienced it.

Die Songs ok, die Stimme im Grunde auch aber Vibrato inflationär eingesetzt und alles gleich lahm. Man kann ja mal einen traurigen Song machen aber ein ganzes Album?

An interesting record for sure. All of the hate for her voice is unwarranted. Yes, tons of vibrato but it works. For the most part. Obviuosly a deeply personal album and it's sort of haunting and beautiful at the same time. It's short and sweet. Intrumentation is great but her voice doesn't quite live up to what it could have been in a lot of the songs. In the end, I think for such a personal record, it's hard for listeners to really connect with it because most of us have not had these same experiences. That's not to say it's bad by any means, just hard to find anything to really make me want to listen again. One thing that really takes away from this album - it's uneven volume. Dynamics is one thing but I feel like I shouldn't have to adjust the volume level multiple times during an album, let alone during one song, to keep it from becoming too loud or too quiet. 3/5 stars, losing points for the uneven production.

I can see this album being transformative for someone, that someone just isn’t me. I appreciate the drama in the lyrics and music, but the warbling indulgence sometimes just didn’t work for me.

beautifl and deeply moving music. not really something i would listen to again, but for sure was quality. made me feel like i was at a gay bar at 1pm on a tuesday, with just me and a vocalist rehearsing.

Beautiful but maudlin to an almost unbearable extent

not bad. again not my kind of music but its ok. short album, with rights issues on spotify south africa so I listened illigally and I am not afraid to say it. labels fuck around and artists suffer.

This album is pretty. Hadn’t heard of it before, a nice little discovery

This is probably someone's most important album. I listened to their albums on release and while I liked them well enough at the time they didn't stay in rotation. It's just not a vibe I like to wallow in too long.

It’s OK, but a little dull.

3/5

hij hit wel, vogelman

got that weird alto dude singer voice

Good, not my cup of tea

Well I didn't expect much out of this and I guess was a bit surprised. Not really my cup of tea but I could see why others like it.

Baroque alterna-pop is my guess. Maybe I was right? I don’t remember. He has such an unusual and interesting style but I don’t recall loving it. Maybe worth revisiting but I think the timbre is not my jam.

Well I learned one thing from reading all the other reviews: apparently I’ve been in a giant vibrato bubble all my life! Because the vibrato didn’t even register for me as abnormal. If anything, it was somewhat typical of this style, I’ve heard it before with singers in this lane. I’ve gotta be honest, “Hope There’s Someone” blew me away, I was swept off my feet at the artistic maturity on display. I just loved the direction the melody went. And… loved the performance too gotta say! The first 3 tracks genuinely shone bright, were so, so precious, revealing, and so sad. Then we got an unexpected Rufus Wainwright cameo for just under two minutes, and… that’s when I realized that it would have been nice if Rufus just closed out the album for us. I realized that listening to the lead singer takes a lot of work. It’s lots of emotion, but it asks a lot of the listener to pay attention, and furrow their brow in commensurate degrease in sync with the singer’s pain. It’s stunning at first, but then becomes draining. I also just don’t like the feeling that we’re flying just a bit too close to the pop ballad sun. I don’t like the songs where the lines are just a little too pat, the chords and resolutions a little too predictable. And I really don’t like singers who I can tell are showing off. There is… a little bit of that going on here. So that’s where I have to leave things. I probably would have gone crazy over this when I was younger, but now it’s just… a lot. I wanted more variation and less predictable-ness. I listened to the first track and thought, if the whole album is like this it’s gonna be amazing! But I gradually realized that, no, that’s not what albums are about at all. It’s a play, and there are five acts. 3/5. Conflicted, but it must be said that those first few songs are just brilliant.

The Johnsons provide some absolutely beautiful melodies and gorgeous arrangements, too often marred by the singer's warbling. Decent bird impersonation, but the voice doesn't hold up during the crescendos, which is unfortunate, because they're great crescendos. Next time try a different type of bird, a sparrow maybe. 🐓🐓🐓

I have had a couple of goes at listening to this and not managed it. But I figured I need to stop listening to only the albums on this list I already like, so here we go. My problem with it is the same problem I have with most music I dislike immediately: I don't like the sound of the singer's voice. ANOHNI has a strange honking / quavering sound which reminds me of some of the worst excesses of Marc Bolan or Devandra Barnhart and I do not like it. But, having got through the first half of the first song on the album, I found there is a bit in the second half where the piano is playing these rising chords and the voices seemed to be singing without to much warbling and I thought "this is alright. It could be from the soundtrack to an arthouse movie or something..." so I am persevering. It's not really my cup of tea but I do love the sound of the piano, the lush strings and the musicianship. Track 5 - Is that Boy George? It is! See, I find his a much more pleasant voice to listen to in this setting. And checking this on Wikipedia has revealed a whole lot of guest appearances... "The album features guest appearances by Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, Joan Wasser, and by lead singer Anohni's childhood heroes Boy George and Lou Reed.[4]" Track 6 - Rufus Wainwright has a great voice for this. How funny to see Barnhart is also on this thing. I'm not looking forward to that - Double warbling!!! Track 7 - Lou Reed on this one? I think he just does the intro. This has got a nice bar room blues shuffle feel to it. This is my favourite so far. Track 8 - Oh no. Here he is. Barnhart. Like Marc Bolan singing on a vibration plate in an earthquake. It's a warble-off. Oh, he's just doing the intro too. This is easily my least favourite song so far. Track 9 - We're nearly through this thing. It's only a short album at 35 minutes. Who's doing the intro on this one? It sound like the guy off of Dark Side of the Moon "There is no dark side of the moon, really. As a matter of fact, it's all dark!" Track 10 - It's the end! You know, I'm glad I've listened to it. There's a lot of good here. It feels very sultry and moody. It has the feeling, if not the sound, of a Tom Waits album or something. Totally different voices, but drama and smoke, stage and theatre, hard times and sadness... I don't know if that makes any sense or if I am just doing word association. I'm never going to really love this voice, and the number of guest appearances might indicate an attempt to water it down a bit, to give the listener the time to acquire the taste for it? But I can't see and hear why it was considered such a big / important / award-winning album. There is something very moving and touching and open about it. I'm glad I persevered with it. But I'm not sure I will return to it.

2/10, 20%

As other reviewers have noted, the level of vibrato here can be a bit tough going. But its not excessive on all songs, and the music is otherwise very good. A solid three.

Unique and lovely voice. Not my type of music but enjoyed it. 3/5

3 average per track. Interesting album.

Very pretty and emotional. Unlike anything I’ve heard. I liked it. Definitely not something I’d passively listen to.

Interesting and original. Haunting songs. The vocal style might be Marmite - but there’s a whole mood on this album and it works. …Although I might not listen to it all the time, it has a certain something. Good songwriting.

Gear: Moondrop Variations (Azla SednaEarfit Xelastec) Mische: minimalistisch auf den Punkt, Crescendo könnte noch mehr Impact haben, Bläser 1A, Vocals sind der Star Musik: 💔 Rating: 3/5

Musicality: 4 - decent songs, different Production & Sound: 4 - very clean sounding Artistic Expression: 4 - creative, emotional Performance: 4 - unique vocals Engagement & Enjoyment: 3 - not really my style, some parts caught my attention but overall a bit average Decent for what it is, unique as well

Gorgeously produced and played and lyrically moving but goddamn it I hate voice vibrato.

The guest parts were the best i.e. Lou Reed and Devendra Banhart

As an avid fan of avant-garde, classical, and any music that takes a chance to be 'out there', this was not a pleasant listening experience. I mean that in the sonic sense, as a tragic and relevant story holds the album together. I found the constant overexaggerated vibrato vocal-style grating, despite the obvious skill and soulful performance.

Some interesting stuff here but maybe not for me. First track stands out. Would give it another spin.

Not rly my jam but prettyyyy cool Fav: You Are My Sister

Very original; poignant and immediate; feels like you're in the room where they recorded. but I would likely tire of it

Nice listening

Amazing voice, but the songs did not really capture me.

Pretty good, i did not expect to like it from the initial song. It got pretty good, though.

6/10. When I saw that this album won the mercury prize and had guest appearances from artists with multiple albums on this list, I was ready for this to be absolute garbage... So, I was pleasantly surprised by a well written album exploring a consistent, heartfelt theme. I didn't love the sound of it all the time, but it had the right mood to it, and it didn't ramble on or overstay its welcome. I'd like to revisit this sometime when I have more freedom to listen closely.

I respect its uniqueness, but that wasn't really my kind.

This album has a really unique feel into it, but I unfortunately can't dive in that kind of stuff.

Did a bit of reading, now called Anhoni (?) and a really interesting back story. Quite an amazing voice but the music isn't quite what I'm into. Appreciate the beauty and effort though.

Vocals are clearly the highlight here, which the music only serves as a vehicle for. Although I can appreciate the vocal talent, this just didn't do much for me. "Fistful of Love" was good. 2.5/5 Wouldn't listen again

Interesting album, full of slow ballads and somber singing. Not something I’d listen to again, but didn’t have anything against it.

Back when this album came out, I was fascinated by it. True, it wasn't my kind of music, but the voice and the originality were forces to be reckoned with (especially at a time when so much music did its best to sound exactly like Coldplay). It was therefore interesting to revisit this album I haven't listened to for a while. And I have to say, the voice is still a factor, but the music did not have as much effect on me as it once did. I guess I grew older with added layers of cynicism.

3.75

I had high hopes for this one after reading the description. I appreciate the artist's p.o.v. and I enjoyed the vocals by the guest artists but ultimately this record just isn't for me.

A really fascinating and interesting album. An amazing voice, which doesn't mean its a great one, and at times hard to listen to, but theres also some cracking moments on here.

Je reste persuadé que ce petit gars mi-homme mi-vibrato aurait dû chialer un bon coup sur les quatre minutes du morceau d'introduction pour repartir sur de meilleures bases. Celui-ci a finalement choisi d'étaler sa chialade sur tout le projet. Reviens-nous en forme toto.

Winge whine

Giving this a three for now as I’m not sure. Definitely a difficult album to get into but I’m really curious how I will feel after another couple of listens. Unfortunately Inlistenedbin the car and didn’t really give it full attention. My three could easily move to a two or four.

Sweet choir boy voice reminiscent of Buckley. Beautiful, but a teeny bit boring after a while, but did I just hear Rufus Wainwright on one of the songs?

I remember this winning the Mercury prize but never listened to it at the time, in those pre-Spotify years. It sounds fairly unique even now though; I can understand the hype. The unmistakable, arresting vocals are the clear standout, and I think the first three tracks are great - almost transcendent. After that, for me, the album never quite reaches those heights again. I’ve just given the debut album a listen too and I reckon I might prefer that, pound for pound. Anyway, this one gets a 3.5 from me.

IT's a very cool album albeit from what's, for me, a take it or leave it genre.

I was looking forward to this because I liked the moody release he did as Ahohni ("Hopelessness") a few years after this. And I also like his work as the lead vocalist for Hercules and Love Affair. This is a bit more ballad-driven than I was expecting and ballad albums are challenging to stay with. I like the first track and "Fistful of Love" but it becomes tiring quick, especially the voice.

Antony/ Anohni’s vibrato voice isn’t for everyone, but it sure is distinctive. This music is very heartfelt and very intimate. Antony has also pulled in a very strong group of musicians behind him such as Julia Kent, Devendra Banhart, Boy George, Rufus Wainwright and Lou Reed.

I’m not a big fan, but I love unique creative expressions, and this was that.

Their voice is lovely, and the music is so unique. But it's all too much all at once.

Pretty

Står oppført som kammermusikk på wikipedia lol. Veeeeldig masse vibrato. Men syns da va bra

some interesting 3*

Finally! The 1001 guy chose an album I'd not heard that's actually good.

At first I thought it would be the "whining" album, but actually it opens up, especially at the crescendo parts of the songs.

It's odd, when Anohni sang on Want Two, which was where I first heard of her, I didn't mind her voice, but I find it bothering me here. It's not bad or anything, but I find myself wishing her voice was a bit higher in this album, because I think it would fit the music better. Just a little nitpick of mine, I guess. The guest vocalists helped with this though, and I found it bothering me less as the album went on. A lot of this album was a bit too mellow for me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood or something. I was hoping to like the album a bit more. I do like the themes and the instrumentation in this album and, again, the guest musicians helped, but I can't give it a higher rating. I think my likes and dislikes balance this album at a three. My favourite song was What Can I Do? I think that Rufus and Anohni's voices compliment each other well.

Anohni is a talented vocalist and composer, but you can’t help but get through this album with the impression that they have exactly one gear: melodramatic chamber pop.

I dont know what i just listened to.

Antony, now ANOHNI, gives an emotional performance. As short as the album was, I found myself wishing for a smaller dose. It was too much all at once. Best track: For Today I Am a Boy

This was an interesting album for me. I should start by saying that for the most part, the album wasn't really my thing. I didn't really find enjoyment in listening to it, and I just don't think I'd return to it in the future. All that said and taken into consideration, I was still very moved by the beautiful and haunting music, and the equally haunting, deeply sad, very intimate lyrics. This album feels like an incredibly personal window into the complex soul of Anohni. She absolutely bears all here and conveys so much emotion in such a short amount of time. This album also features several other superstars who are part of the art pop orbit; no doubt these legends were moved by the work of Anohni, too.

I Am a Bird Now is the second album by the American pop band Antony and the Johnsons. This soulful art pop album won the UK Mercury Prize in the second half of 2005, causing the album to jump in popularity. This popularity led the album to be certified gold in the UK. I was surprised by how good this album was. I went into it knowing nothing - only thinking it might be another pop album - and it was beautiful. The music is timeless and Antony's (now known as Anohni) singing is absolutely breathtaking. This is a good album for someone that appreciates awesome singing, and anyone that likes soulful, timeless feeling music.

Mostly sounded the same but nice enough

Highlights: "What Can I Do," "Hope There's Someone," "Fistful of Love" Anywhere you look, this album hangs on subjective evaluations of Anohni's voice. I agree the vibrato is laid too thick, and we can argue that the rest is moot over that, but more conspicuous to me when it came out was that I had nothing to compare it to (Nina Simone being a clear reference looking back). The way the voice languishes over these lovely, tender piano harmonies convinces me of an entirely knowing, telling arrangement. Unlike many cases of awkward singers with good music, this is an album preoccupied with self-frustration, and the pain of being held to standards you can never meet, even in your own heart. One of the figures of the Weimar's SocDem Prussia that Nazi Germany sought to erase was Magnus Hirschfeld, who leveraged his authority as a physician to advocate, among other causes, for people he dubbed transvestites. He claimed that a common characteristic among the trans women he sheltered and studied was a form of masochism, whether this was a shaping force of their identity or an assimilation of the lifelong social rebuke they experienced. We live in a different time, where trans people at least have the internet to host arguments about dysphoria as a qualifier ("transmedicalism" or "truscum",) but even ten years ago dysphoria would have been seen as a spearhead for trans visibility and public acceptance. The subject could never date the album as it comes from that experience not for some platform but for an incredibly vulnerable catharsis, to save herself. This album is a very clear touchstone for its period, alternating between solidarity anthems and laments of dysphoria that struck a chord with a much broader audience.

Too much vibrato for me, Clive... Her voice is really unusual, haunting even, and it works really well with the stripped back music, but not in a way that I find particularly pleasant for more than a track or two at once. What Can I Do? with Rufus Wainwright doesn't help - it's a stark reminder that this kind of voice can do a lot more when it's a bit more versatile than hitting the vibrato with almost every note. 3/5, just. Probably would've been a 2 if not for the guest vocalists.

Beautiful album, a little to low energy for my liking although if the mood strikes I'd reach for it again.

Well, it grew on me a bit as I listened. But dude's singing style is... well, it's really challenging. The constant vibrato and the weird affected timbre are really hard to get past. If you can, there's some great songwriting and music underneath. Unfortunately, the vocals are really hot in the mix so the most unpleasant part of the album is right in your face at all times. Shame. There's something here, to be sure. But I don't understand the ecstatic gushing this received from the critics. It's just not that great. It's not even all that close to great. It's only good if you manage to ignore the vocals. But the vocals are the thing in the spotlight so they're really hard to ignore. Again: it's a shame.

Meh

Emotionally evocative lyrics, killer vibrato on the vocals, beautiful minimalist arrangements. Really not my type of music, but good stuff. High 3.

What a strange and beautiful album. Very unique. Not sure yet whether I love it or just like it, but I will definitely be giving it another listen. 3 stars.

Remember this winning the Mercury Prize in 2005 as it was a bit of a shock win. Enjoyed it, but their bleating lamb voice gets a bit much as the album progresses

You can hear the emotion

Very distinctive voice, reminicent of the Neville Brothers, but it's a double edged sword - the vocal is so distinctive that it overpowers the melody. So if you don't like the voice, the beauty of the song can't rescue it. Sadly, I don't care for the voice and had enough after 4 tracks. I couldn't listen to any more. I know lots will love it - clearly there's serious talent there, and it deserves at least 3 stars, but it's marmite music and I don't want to hear any more.

Pop sosegado y melancólico. Voz tristona. Sin estridencias y poco instrumental

Listening to this album means nihilistically pained lyrics about the leader singer’s gender transition story. The combination of vibrato vocals, dramatic piano instrumentals, and guest appearances from the legends like Lou Reed lends this album serious credit.

nearly flying free

The voice as an instrument, then this album is worth more than my rating of 3 stars. However, I don’t think I heard anything that will be bringing me back to listening to this album, but this record nonetheless seems a deep and powerfully emotional vocal expression.

Not really my kind of music, a bit dreary but it was nice overall

wow this is really amazing. Didn't really like it that much but yeah it was good

Decent pop of the era, but I find Ahoni's voice a bit annoying, too much narrow fast vibrato in general. Some nice moments that feel genuine and vulnerable, but mostly middle of the road.

pretty boring, and I don't love her voice, but I appreciate the music

It's a deep and moving album. Tough to get all the way through for me, however.

I liked this well enough, the instrumentals were all very good, and some of the songs were genuinely touching on something very beautiful and honest. Good for her.

This album grew on me as I listened to it, but I’m unlikely to listen to it again. My favorite song “Fistful of Love” was different from the rest and most of the time I was distracted by the singer’s vibrato. Still a very technically impressive performance

Liked the instrumentals and the lyricism; not the vocals.

Why is she singing like that? Is she being electrocuted? For the love of god, people, stop recording her and GO HELP HER.

Pretty weird, but I like it. Any band that is “unknown” but can still get Lou Reed and Boy George to guest star is pretty cool in my book!

J'ai pas écouté, j'étais pas trop dans le mood de ce genre de sons. En sah ça avait l'air cool hein, je mets 3 et je repasserais peut etre dessus lol

Verry cool stuff, kinda my style of music so I'm gonna inflate the rating on this one. 3 or 4 stars - probably a 3.5

Didn't love it 3 Not that great for my workout tbh Ended up just sobbing for 35 minutes straight Wait. Is that Rufus Wainwright? It is

While I don't really care for the heavy vibrato style singing, I can definitely appreciate the heart and feeling that pours from this album. It definitely feels like poetry put to music.

This album is quite beautiful. It also has way too much vibrato which is something I think used sparingly is stunning but constantly is overdoing it. Pretty poetic lyrics with really good instrumentals. 4 is too high but 3 seems too low. 3.5 stars.

Admittedly I have always found Anohni's voice kind of grating, so I'd never listened to a full album before. This was very haunting and in some (many?) places I found it beautiful, but I don't think I'll listen to it much again.

interessant

3.7 - I know it's cliché but the best word I can think of to describe this album is brave. Anohni "goes there" with lines like: "My My lady story is one of breast amputation." I like the voice and the delicate arrangements. And I heard the influence of this band on contemporaries like Perfume Genius.

What’s thrilling about this album is the joy that comes from an artist expressing their full self. Sad moments, more joyful moments, a tough listen in some respects but deserving of its place on this list.

Another one that's all new to me, and it's great. Richly layered, interesting compositions, and superbly performed and recorded. I read the Wikipedia entry and learned there were quite a few guest stars in here -- artists I've long loved and admired -- and that's super-cool, too, but the work here really does stand strong on its own. Nicely done.

This album grew on me slowly as I listened to it. I hated the first song but by the time it got to fistful of love I was into it partly cuz that song itself is a banger. This is another album like sault where the Spotify radio is better than the album

There's some pearls of real beauty here. Highlights: What Can I Do?, For Today I am a Boy.

Another album no longer on the list. I'm mostly familiar with Antony/Anohni from her guest vocals on Lou Reed's The Raven and her later solo album, I'm not super familiar with the Johnsons. It's not really my thing, but it is pretty.

This is something new, hard to describe it or put it in a genre. In some way I liked it, his voice has something strange that I want to keep listening to. Not something to listen to all the time. Favourite songs: - Hope there’s someone - Fistful of love

Not really my thing but there's a beauty to this. 3

Pas un fan du vibrato dès le départ, la première toune j'étais sur le bord d'haïr ça (en plus Rufus se pointe plus tard😄) mais la deuxième toune et les suivantes était mieux. La production et les arrangements sont assez hot en fait. Avec un matériel assez simple somme toute, l'habillage rends tout de même le tout intéressant, certains beats surprenants au drum . Clairement pas un disque que j'écouterais souvent mais c'est artistiquement de haut niveau, je tripe pas chanson à texte et mettons que le propos est assez front mais la personne au centre de ce projet sait comment s'entourer.

C'est beau. Pièce préférée: Fistful Of Love

This is like a selection of songs from a musical that nobody can quite remember the story of.

Beautiful chamber pop I've not heard before. Stuff like it, stuff which strikes closer to my core immediately, sure. But nothing which created such a disjoint response to the first track and the rest. Far, far too subtle to evaluate without really sitting with it. Perhaps 2005 was a wild time for this to release.

An album that is like a wallflower. Unspectacular, just kind of flows along like a river but in essence isn't bad. Just unremarkable both in positive and negative ways

Super interesting. Not my normal cup of tea, but I dug the music a lot. The vocals weren't my favorite style, but the guest vocalists were good. 3.5/5, but rounding down to a 3. With a different lead singer, may be a 4 for me. This is just my personal preference. Very poignant cover art, too, given the backstory of who it is.

Haunting, beautiful, but despite that I had some trouble getting into it. Could see it growing on me. Or not.

Vibrato vox very much not my thing. First track is undeniably powerful but I can't take a whole album of it. Emotionally exhausting.

I remember in my 20s hearing the first track on Pandora radio and was pretty struck by it, so I went and tried to listen to the album... and more of it I heard the more I started to dislike it. The heavy vibrato-vocals I think work well to be used sparingly, or just one track. But, as it goes on it gets to be too much for me. Might be a nice concert to go to and never listen to again, just for that transient experience.

Great when I’m in the mood for it

3 Stars

Surely not an easy listen, but a must checking out.

This wasn’t what I expected, especially right off of the bat. The music and vocals were not anticipated, but in a good way. The R&B kind of feel have this a good vibe, which I liked, I just found it difficult to get fully “into” this album. I liked it, but not in a way that will make me seek out other music by this artist.

Antony's vibrato is probably the worst part of this experience. A very beautiful album, but the vocal styling is what ruins it for me.

Sometimes hard to listen to the vocals, but there is some beautiful music here.

No longer in the latest editions of the book.

Haunting and beautiful. Definitely from the heart, both the lyrics and the performance. The constant vibrato in the voice sometimes becomes too much. Not a regular re-listen but poses questions that linger and therefore worthy of merit.

Unusual vocals, unique and haunting. As a whole, I felt this got better as I worked through the album, not gripped at the start, but really enjoyed it by the end. Musically varied, but all linked by Anohni‘s gifted voice

I loved this album when it came out but listening back to it now, I am struggling to remember why. The voice is beautiful but the music seems to be there solely to showcase the voice, there's not a lot going on. The later ANOHNI stuff is infinitely more interesting.

Like if tiny Tim went through puberty

Love the concept and representation and understand why its on the list. Can not stand the constant vibrato. It makes the whole thing unlistenable.

Not a massive fan of the style of singing, but a very beautiful album that kinda hit me in the feels, so bonus points

Very much giving to drama series vibes 2.5

You are a bird now. Congratulations. I am bored now.

Music is great but those vocals are rough.

I remember this winning the Mercury, although I never listened to it at the time. That's probably for the best; I'm not sure I would have appreciated it properly then. This is clearly a highly intimate and personal record, full of songs that overtly express the thoughts of Ahnoni and her experiences at the time. The emotion is very apparent and authentic, and I have to respect that. Nonetheless, the melodramatic style, particularly the over-the-top vocals, really doesn't do it for me. There are a couple I would listen to again in future - in particular, What Can I Do? with its slightly more muted approach reminded me of a delicate Radiohead ballad, and I enjoyed it. And at least it was short. On the whole though, it's not my kind of thing.

One good song and they knew it

What a very mopey sounding album, for a lot of it anyways. I can't really bring myself to dislike it all that much though. It had a bit of variety at times and almost managed to sound not sad at some points. The album doesn't really overstay its welcome with the short runtime either. Antony has a very interesting voice, beautiful and melancholic but also hard to listen to for more than a song. Just a weird listen, but I guess the uniqueness gives it some merit.

This is essentially a piano-driven album of ballads. The lyrics are sung with an exaggerated passion and there's orchestral backing. The songs all blended together for me, and I've never been much into this genre when it's popped up on here before. Luckily this was relatively short, unlike those others.

Huii das isch nöd mis Zu pop schnulzig

“Fistful of Love” thats it.

Orchestral pop is not for me. Their voice was good on the slower songs but anything louder and it was hitting quite the odd pitch to my ear.

Still not sure what I just listened to.

I don’t get it. Boring chamber pop?

Do I like this or not? I don’t know. It feels pretentious as hell but also I think I enjoy his voice? I don’t know.

I find the lyrics quite beautiful and a bit sad. Unfortunately I hate the vibrato singing. The song with Rufus Wainwright is great though!

This has happened to me before: I draw an album of the day that won the Mercury Prize, but I just don't enjoy it. I can understand that winning the Mercury Prize for the best British/Irish album of the year almost dictates that said album should appear on this (very British) list. But maybe every once in a while the judges got it wrong.

I really don't know why this is on the list.

I wish Antony would have decided to be a fish instead

Not my kind of music

Serious sad soulful unique and theatrical.

I was really hoping I was going to like this after the first few seconds of the album. But instead what I got was a rollercoaster. The first half of the album was bad. Like I never want to listen to those songs again bad. The interludes with the really hard piano playing and the duet singing with half a second delay were big parts of that. The singing is really good at times when there is only one person singing and they don't try to go to high with no breath left. That being said the later half of the album suddenly removes those elements and what you are left with are really soft and beautiful songs that I really enjoy. Unfortunately the album as a whole is kind of a miss for me even with some good parts and moments of brilliance.

Idk, the voice was great but not really my album...

There are some moments here where the music is absolutely beautiful. Some lovely acoustic guitar work throughout. The string arrangements laced over delicate piano lines are gorgeous. But then he sings over it all in that relentless vibrato and it completely kills the mood. I accept that a singer's tone may be a harsh and very personal, subjective feature to criticise but I can't help the fact that I never want to hear his sheeplike warbling again so I'll have to tick this one off and move on.

2.5 because half was pretty cool and half annoyed me.

I just don't like the singer. I think I would rather listen to Tiny Tim, of Tiptoe Through the Tulips fame, audition for a Broadway musical. The songs were pretty boring also, so it wasn't just his singing. I'll give it two stars because the musicians were good.

Beautiful backing music. I was not a fan of the lead vocal or repetitive lyrics.

I've never clicked with Anhoni.

I just couldn't get past the whiney vocals. No thank you, please

I didn't like this when it came out and I still don't. His voice ain't for me.

I appreciate the artistry, but I'm not a fan of the tight vibrato voice.

This album is meant to showcase the singer’s voice. The problem is, I’m not a fan of the voice. Not for me.

Anohni has had a fascinating career and I respect what she's trying to do here but much like Leonard Cohen this falls in "not for me" territory. A lot of misgendering in the reviews here unfortunately!

The singer's voice is too distracting and silly. It sounds like a muppet. I can't take this seriously.

Never got off the ground for me. The singer's voice is quite good but the whole mood of the album is sad.

Wish I enjoyed this more but the permanently mournful vocals grate on me pretty quickly.

Would be good if the vocals weren’t so bad. 2 stars

the human voice is what adds humanity to recorded music. rock, pop, soul, metal, punk, big band - whatever genre. it often comes down to the voice. it's the real difference maker. not that there aren't distinctive guitar players with a signture style- there absolutely are. but how many bands or artists do you write off because of a midlevel guitarist. you notice when a guitarist is great but if they are just competent rarely will you turn away. but the voice - you can tell in a matter of seconds of you are going to relate to an artist. some artists may grow on you - especially artists with distinctive/unique/non traditional voices. but i would say my experience usually goes the other way - i can be drawn initially to someone's unique delivery that i may grow weary of over time. Some of my favorite voices: Nick Cave, Mark Hollis, PJ Harvey, Muddy Waters, Emmylou Harris, Nick Drake, Greg Dulli, David Yow, Tanya Donnelly, Julie Byrne, Jeff Tweedy - they are all over the place in terms of style, range, etc. but what they all have is style that for some reason resonated with me. And there are plenty of notable artists that i just never got - largely because of the voices - Arcade Fire, White Stripes, Florence and the Machine, Beyonce. For whatever i just didn't connect even when the music is good to great. That's a me thing and perhaps something that is encoded deep within me. This album pretty much comes down to your tolerance/enjoyment of the human voice in this iteration. unique - maybe but i have heard it done better with less - or a at least more natural - reliance on the "V" word. I have tried many times over the last 20 years to grasp A&TJ. Nothing is more telling than my favorite track on this album - What Can I Do? - originally i thought - great - pulling back on the vibrato to just a warble that sounded vaguely reminiscent of another distinctive voice that i rather enjoy - and it turns out was in fact Rufus W. That pretty much says it all. Some good songs on here and the arrangements are often excellent especially as the album progresses but i just can't take the voice. i tried. PS - there is a song I do enjoy by this artist with the help of Bryce Dessner. .perhaps because it was a one off or maybe just because it captures sormthing truly special - a version of Dylan's I Was Young When I Left Home. It is a treat. do yourself a favor - especially if you don't like this album and give it a listen. 2.5 stars

Perfectly fine and pretty mope pop. If it’s your thing you’ll love it. Nothing stood out for me and kept forgetting I was listening to something.

It feels very personal and powerful and I appreciate that but, unfortunately, it's not my cup of tea. Would put 1 star but I think with the lyrics and the sincereness of this album I can't bring myself to do that. It's not bad, I'm sure it resonates with a lot of people but not with me.

Wow this album is so above me in every way. Like if I could describe this album my actual response would be that this album is above my pay grade. This is definitely a theater kid’s type of album, for lack of a better term, this is the gayest album I’ve ever heard. No joking aside, this album really is great but it’s way too slow and poetic for me. I enjoy the guys voice, in fact his voice is wildly impressive with his delivery. But again something this sad and slow just won’t ever click with me unless it has a comedy hook. I don’t know why my brain works this way, I can appreciate that the instrumentals are breathtaking and haunting, especially the “break down” in the title track, like it’d be impossible not to get goosebumps listening to that. But I can’t connect with it, and that’s a problem. Again I would (and have) recommend to friends and family. But I just can’t get that part of my brain to click and truly love this album. And I say that begrudgingly, because when I hear something like this I immediately recognize that I’m not “enlightened” enough to like it, and that’s makes me sad cause the family member I recommended this too I’m very close with but that disconnect makes me insecure that we don’t have the same tastes or interests. But then i remember that we both love Alex Cameron, so at least we have that going for us. I do want to end on a positive, so why that in mind, my favorite songs on this album are “my lady story” and “fistful of love”. Both of which are fucking awesome!

The Nina Simone feel in her vocals is a bit too strong for me. It's an artistic sounding album, but I just don't like it a lot.

It's not been a great run thus far. I have never heard of this band/artist. If Rufus Wainwright fronted a band inspired by the Velvet Underground, but guitars were all but eliminated from the sound...this is what you would get. I looked up the Mercury Prize to see what other bands were nominated and it turns out this "1001 Albums" book is basically a listing of Mercury Prize nominees. Who could have foreseen that? It turns out I have bad taste in music, as I did not enjoy a lot of the Mercury Prize winning albums. I guess I am not bougie enough to enjoy good music. This album is just shockingly dreary and I will not dump on it as I did The Streets album yesterday (which I am still recovering from learning was not a parody of albums made by white rappers). This one probably just isn't an album for me. The vocals didn't bother me, it just felt very forced and more interested in being interesting than anything else. It was an exercise in patience more often than not. My favorite songs: Hope There's Someone For Today I am a Boy You Are My Sister Fistful of Love

I would like to simultaneously give this a 2, 3 and 4. Some songs are a perfect combination of Antony's vocals and the music. And for some songs all I could think of was Tiny Tim without the falsetto. When they're on, this band has some pretty high highs, however that's sadly too rare. But, another album I'm glad I listened to and wouldn't have otherwise - even if I didn't totally like it.

Das zweite Studioalbum der New Yorker Band Antony and the Johnsons entstand unter der Produktion von Anohni selbst; das Mixing übernahm Doug Henderson in den Micromoose Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Veröffentlicht auf dem Indie-Label Secretly Canadian – in Großbritannien über Rough Trade – bewegt sich I Am a Bird Now im Spannungsfeld von Chamber Pop und Art Rock: Klavier, Streicher und sparsame Bläserarrangements bilden das fragile Gerüst für Anohnis außergewöhnliche Stimme, die zwischen zerbrechlichem Falsett und dunklem Kontralto schwebt. Das Album kreist um Fragen der Identität, Transformation, Liebe und Verlust – Themen, die Anohni mit einer Unmittelbarkeit formuliert, die keine Distanz zulässt. Gastauftritte von Lou Reed (Gitarre und Spoken Word auf „Fistful of Love"), Boy George (Duett auf „You Are My Sister"), Rufus Wainwright und Devendra Banhart sind keine dekorativen Beilagen, sondern Teil eines queer-künstlerischen Kosmos, der das Album ikonographisch auflädt. Die Eröffnungsnummer „Hope There's Someone" setzt sofort den Ton: ein einsamer Klavierakkord, dann eine Stimme, die einem schlicht den Boden unter den Füßen wegzieht. I Am a Bird Now gewann im September 2005 den britischen Mercury Prize – der größte Sprung in der Chartgeschichte des Preises folgte: von Platz 135 auf 16 in einer Woche. Doch der kommerzielle Nachklang interessiert hier kaum; wichtiger ist, dass das Album damals ein seltenes, offenes Zeugnis trans-femininer Erfahrung in den Mainstream trug, ohne dabei einen Millimeter Eigensinn preiszugeben. Neben „Hope There's Someone" und „You Are My Sister" gehören „For Today I Am a Boy" und das abschließende „Bird Gerhl" zum Stärksten, was die Nullerjahre an Kammermusik hervorgebracht haben. Ein Album, das einen nicht loslässt – nicht beim ersten Hören, nicht beim zwanzigsten.

The vocals are unique (mostly in a good way) but I didn't connect to most of the songs and overall found it weirdly off-putting.

2.3 2x not bad just a bit boring

Blech.

Didn't like her voice; didn't make it very far.

2/5 - Appreciate the emotion and the feeling she's going for, but this just isn't an album I'm going to spend more time with.

Not into vocal warbles.

I don't know what to expect here. Never heard of this artist. I don't know it was alright 2 stars.

I get why people people rate it—proper emotional, stripped-back etc But honestly, I just couldn’t get past the vocals, which I didn’t enjoy at all. Just not one I’d stick on again, not my cup of tea. My favourite track was what can I do but that’s really because I really like Rufus Wainwright.

I don't hate this, but this isn't for me. Every song is so full of melancholy, and their voice has too much vibrato on everything. I'm satisfied that I've given it a listen, but have no intention on doing so again.

Pleasant enough, but too reliant on a single, overly melodramatic sound. So, pretty at times but boring. Favorite song: Fistful Of Love

It’s a no from me. Musikk for artsy jenter i tidlig tyveårene med heartbreak og en fraværende far.

Man kan høre at her synges det med øyan lukka. Det e jo fint, men ikke helt min greie.

Bare ikke for mæ.

Too much warbling, not enough substance. This album did nothing for me.

s/o to the oscillating fan the vocals were recorded through

What in the heck did I just listen to? Looking at the album cover I immediately deduced avante garde but holy moly. Parts of it were.... interesting... but overall just didn't hit it for me.

This album is raw as hell, but in a way that just didn’t connect with me at all. While listening I felt mostly uncomfortable and a bit bored — it stays on the exact same tone and slow rhythm almost the entire time, like one long, heavy sigh that never really changes. The lyrics are full of this crying desperation, neediness, and begging for help, shelter, and cover. It’s like constant emotional pleading, and I just didn’t get it. The whole record feels like one big song stretched across the tracks. Not that it flows like one continuous piece, but practically every song has the same sparse piano, strings, and that dramatic vocal style, so it all blends together into the same mood. It’s not the worst album I’ve heard — Antony’s voice is powerful and unique, and there’s real emotion in there — but man, it got repetitive fast and left me cold. I respect what they were going for, but zero chance I’ll ever put this on again.

Too slow too boring too soulful for me. 2/5

nahh

Decent vocals but I didn't get anything else from this

Well this one was interesting. Seems like a real personal passion project. Songs of self-discovery. Just feels like they’re playing to an audience of one. And we really gotta dial it down on the melisma. That’s too much melisma. Not my thing.

Yet another oh well record.

Not it

Unfortunately did not hit, felt like sad clown church music

It's kind of cool but there's just way too much vibrato

Couldn’t really get over the spastic vibrato

I really struggled with this one. The vocals just don’t work for me. They’re so prominent that they become exhausting over the course of the album. There may be something to appreciate here, but it’s not a listen I found enjoyable.

I just don't know about this one. I can feel the energy going into it, but have a hard time connecting. Do love a Boy George cameo, though.

Seems like one of those albums that need to hit you in the right moment to enjoy, I wasn't in that moment.

While I see some beauty and serious emotions in this, the music is just not interesting enough. Our main singer repeats same patterns on piano and tries to win via his vocals. Problem is that a vibrato only helps so much. Also, you shouldn't do it for the whole of the album. All the other musicians are delegated to be minor supporting roles even though some might have more to offer. No, sorry, this doesn't need to be on the list. I got better and more experimental stuff in a similar direction by James Blake.

Не понял Про страдания Про гендерный переход Но вокал вообще мимо Тяжело слушать

To be fair, on paper it's probably decent, but I just find his voice (especially the tremolo) and the composition to be anxiety-inducing. 2 because of this

IiIiIiIiI'm NoOoT sUuUrE iF tHiS aAaAaAlBuM iS fOr MeEeEeEeEeEeEe

Fistful of Love was fun but everything else was pretty darn bad.

Oof. This wasn't bad but I was definitely looking forward to it being over. Was pretty happy when it started playing a johnny cash song at the end.

Not terrible, but every song sounded the exact same, so even at only 35 minutes it felt long. Not one I'm likely to revisit.

Terrible vocals but grew on me. Would not listen again

Really nothing special. Just a lot of unmemorable songs. Also, I can't stand his voice, personally. The musical choices were pretty dramatic though, I can at least appreciate that.

Musically, this was a competent enough, but unaffecting baroque pop album. Some nice piano exploits, but overall this was a bit too delicate and polished with little that really broke the mould or solemnity at any point, and it was fairly generic / predictable with regards its cycling between quiet and loud passages. Vocally it was absolutely awful - imagine the geezer from Sleep Token if he was somehow even more over-dramatised, self-important and joyless in his approach to vibrato wailing.

His voice is interesting, everything else was so meh for me

James Blakey vocals that waver and foreshadow the indie sad boys that come about 10 years later. Definitely gothic organy and echoy feeling. I don't know if i like this but it's definitely something. The production is actually really ambient and has a warmth to it. Like a remixed rufus wainwright

It’s fine, but why is this one of the 1000 I need to hear?

Yep - got it.

Das war nüscht.

There's beautiful songwriting, musicianship and lyricism on this. But stylistically, it's not my thing at all. ANOHNI's super-vibrato-y vocals sound like a product of its time. I almost wish there was a different recording and style to these songs that to their core are very strong - but that's not the place they came from of course. Faves: Hope There's Someone, For Today I Am A Boy

Thoughtful and talented but not for me and a pretty big bummer.

i see why other people could like this but i found it completely unlistenable

I thought it was alright. I honestly didn't like the main vocalist. His vibrato was really annoying.

I've heard this album before, and musically it's actually quite good. That being said, not a fan of the vocal style at all.

I can understand the importance of this album. The voice made me feel nervous and unsettled.

I did not like the main singers voice. This was going to be a one star album until the song sung by Rufus Wainwright (whom I don’t particularly like, but like a lot more than the main singers voice) and the talking part done by Lou Reed.

This album is very beautifully written and composed! However it is not really my cup of tea BUT it is truly beautiful and emotional!

No, no, no, thanks. This voice irritates me. So does the music. :((

Operatic, sad not my taste

Couple of tracks but not a fan of the vocals

Piano felt ham fisted and the vibrato was really hard for me. The content of the songs was very clearly emotional, but the execution for me didn't hit.

The instrumentals are the best part of the album all the way through. The vocals are not quite for me, however the lyrics are enjoyable and I feel sympathy for the singer in their struggles with their gender dysphoria. My favorite track was Fistful of Love, if there were more of that approach to the rest of the album it would receive a higher rating from me. Might listen to again in the future as background noise because of the instrumentals but I don't see myself returning to this often.

I can understand why this is good but the voice is not one that resonates with me

Nothing too bad, but just not for me

For the first couple of songs, I thought this was pretty painful. Once it hits its stride it sounds like Nina Simone does the Velvet Underground.

Oooooo Captial "V" Vibrato. Like - it's kind of a parody of people who sing with too much vibrato. If every song is like this, I don't know how I'll make it through this. Oh yeah - wow. Ok. I'm in a for a long night. Content-wise, I can see why this is on the list; however, vocally, it's almost unlistenable. On top of which, the songs are overwrought, painfully self-serious, and monotonous in their despair. When ANOHNI wasn't singing, the music was quite nice. But that rarely happened, unfortunately. Rufus makes a cameo, and see! A beautiful voice with a perfect vibrato! It can be done! I'm not sure how to score this. I feel like ANOHNI (I hope you're reading that in the MATT DAMON from Team America voice, because that's how I'm typing it) made a very bold artistic choice at some point in her journey which is at least interesting, but for me it does not pay off. There is a reason most human people don't sing like this- listening to it for 35 minutes is horribly grating. But this album also isn't completely without merit. So it has to be- TWO STARS

has some interesting moments here and there. it has beautiful piano and strings throughout. It's also has some meaningful lyrics regarding ANTHONI's life and transition, plus longing for someone. It’s just not that gripping overall.

Die stem kanik oprecht niet uitstaan, maar de productie is echt heel goed en vooral ook prachtig o. Naar te luisteren

You most definitely are not a bird, but you seem very confused as to what you are

Removed Album #21 (List: https://pastebin.com/cSThNiK9) New removed album just four rolls after the previous one. I've been haunted by my last removed album (Bitte Orca), truth be told. I've gone back to "Stillness Is the Move" once or twice just to relive how staggeringly shit that song is. The music video is total hipster wank, too. Yet, the most staggering aspect of that song to me are all of the YouTube comments talking about how they discovered the song through NBA 2K13. This kind of discordant, warbling sound is a baffling choice for a basketball video game, yet even stranger to me is the fact that this song has any resonance with the crowd that plays said video games. I'm not trying to be an elitist asshole - I'm glad the song has an audience. Just how? Anyways, I've no clue to what to expect from this album going by the cover. It's obviously something indie going by the artsy grayscale filter, but what exactly that is eludes me. Is this that album which has a parody EP that pissed everyone off? I'm pretty sure that's a folk album, if I'm not mistaken. Once again, I'm dead wrong. The album I was alluding to was "A Crow Looked at Me" and it's associated parody EP "Playdough Cooked in Tea". Gotta be real, I kind of respect the balls to parody such an album, especially when it's pissing off indie music fans of all people. Granted, it doesn't parody it's subject matter in an interesting or humourous way and the whole thing is kind of shitty, but aggravating music fans is based nonetheless. We're among the most reactionary, performative, defensive and moralising types online, which is made even funnier by how difficult it is to make a reasoned argument for why a piece of music is good. We seriously need to be humbled. Holy shit. I've never waffled like I have in this review before. I'll keep to the album from here on out, I promise. It's kinda suckin', I'll be real. I don't know why these ill-fated vocalists choose to do the warbling falsetto thing. I haven't listened to a single song from these types where the vocalist hasn't been eating dirt the entire way through. Different strokes for different folks I guess, though my mind has evolved in such a way that it filters out most of this album. That being said, the instrumentals are generally pretty decent, though they don't mesh well with the vocal sections, making them somewhat frustrating. Why was this removed? It's impossible to say for certain, but I can check for why it was in here to begin with. "Harrowing, Yet Haunting". Charted well. Won the Mercury Prize. Wikipedia says that this album jumped from #135 to #16 on the UK charts after winning the Mercury Prize, which is pretty funny. It also says that the album has a few notable collaborators and is very well regarded by critics. I'm not sure why this was removed, really. All of their albums have been pretty well-received and they've been met with a respectable level of chart success. I suspect it comes down to there being better albums within this genre of music or Anohni and the Johnsons not being influential enough as a band. I guess I'm on this album's side. I'm always favourable to the out-there picks. I cosign this inclusion.

It starts off fine but I kinda bounced off of this one. There’s something interesting happening with the sound but I honestly don’t care enough to explore it.

Agh I really wanted to like this more. Instrumentally it is brilliant. The string arrangements are breathtaking, piano work is striking and rhythmically interesting. I just cannot get on board because the vibrato in the vocal is so distracting. It’s just too much for me. It feels so melodramatic and cartoonish.

That voice is just not for me. The Nina-Simone-meets-Tiny-Tim warbling makes Stevie Nicks' vibrato sound as steady as a dial tone. I'm giving the album one star above the minimum because once I could tune out the vocals, some of the music sounded really good. Give yourself a half-star if you can actually remember what a dial tone sounds like.

The few tracks without the vocal affectation lift this to a 2.

Found this a bit underwhelming, felt like a whole album of not quite nailing a half decent sparse piano track. Interesting voice, bit warbly but not quite against it. Album as a whole was on the lower side of okay but won't be back.

Found it quite interesting initially, but it got too much pretty quickly. Could maybe manage a song or 2 but a whole album of it isn't for me.

Pretty depressive album Fistful of love being the only song I've enjoyed here

Guy kinda sounds like Dadi Freyr. No real notes on this album. Not really my vibe. High 2.

So after Tiny Tim got married on the Tonight Show, he put a band together and started singing about Tiptoeing Through the Gender Fluidity? Seriously, what the hell is this? And yet I’ve heard way worse from this list.

Piano-heavy, very slow singer/songwriter. 1 part Hozier, 1 part slower, calmer Nathaniel Rateliffe, 1 part late-Elvis-in-Vegas. Would give it a 1.5 if I could but didn’t absolutely hate it.

Kind of experimental sounding operatic music. Very different vocals and not necessarily in a good way. It's like extreme vibrato in every verse. Reminds me of the lion singing about how he is the king of the forest in the Wizard of Oz. The music isn't bad with a variety of sounds and beats, nice usage of brass. The music isn't enough to put it over the top for me though. I probably won't listen to this again and will only remember it for how weirdly bad it was.

Without the vocals of Antony, 4/5 stars. Sadly there were vocals in every single one of the songs, so that drops my rating down to a 2/5. The warbling that was reminiscent of Post Malone mixed with a Yellow Warbler bird was too much to bear on every track. The piano was the only redeeming quality of the songs, and that is the only reason this album is getting more than 1 star from me.

Blind album and artist. Never really been a huge fan of this style of music, and this album was not an exception.

Interesting at times, but did not enjoy the vocals. Standout songs: Fistful of love Bird Guhl

Tiny Tim body swaps with Sam Smith

Ok 2/5

Can't stand this person's voice, and I like a lot of annoying voices (e.g., Rufus Wainwright, Billy Corgan). On top of that, these tunes are bleak as fuck. Fistful of Love was okay, and there were some lovely moments in Spiralling. 2.5 stars rounded down.

Slightly protentious acoustic album which has operatic and jazzy influences

You Are My Sister and Fistful of Love stood out. Not a fan of most of this album, but there were some moments that kept it out of being a 1. 2/5

Music was ok, but hard to get into that wavering voice

The vocal on a good bit of this album is horrible imo. Fistful of love is the only thing saving this from a 1.

Too artsy and misunderstood for me

This just wasn't really for me?

Almost sad man

Couple of great songs in hope there's someone and fistful of love. The rest is a lot of pap. Critically well received at the time but really doesn't date well. Too melodramatic

It's probably somebody's cup of tea but that person is not me. The constant vibrato in the guys voice is super annoying. Very little energy to any of the songs, and the lyrics felt like they were trying too hard to be deep. The music itself was ok at some points, highlight was the one song with the female vocalist (I think), but even that song was just ok. Prob a 1.5 but rounded up because it's not Beefheart bad.

“I Am A Bird Now” by Antony and The Johnsons is a collage of exaggeratedly melodramatic songs that at first glance sound like singer/songwriter pieces from the 1950s. The singer's broad vibrato makes the album, recorded in 2005, seem even more anachronistic. I generally like it when artists play with historical set pieces and mix different styles. However, the result is often a matter of taste, and for me, “I Am A Bird Now” seems rather uninspired and difficult to access in this regard. Perhaps it is too quiet on the one hand and too theatrical on the other. I can well imagine that there is a market and a scene for this kind of music, but it's definitely not my thing.

I did not really enjoy this album much. What Can I Do and Fistful of Love were the only songs that captured a bit of interest from me, saving this from being a 1. The rest just did not do it for me at all.

sehr speziell. ruhige klavierballaden mit wuchtiger stimme.

Veldig vibrato det her. Musikken er fin, stemmen er uutholdelig

10 modern Eurovision-winning ballads about the transgender experience. The melodies are lovely, the lyrics simple yet moving. But I cannot stand Ahnoni's voice; the constant warbling vibrato makes me uneasy.

I regret reading the reviews on this, because now I can't really hear anything other than the vibrato. Not that I likely wouldn't have zeroed in on it myself, but it kinda feels like my dislike for this album is more suggested than natural. Anyways, yeah the vibrato is distracting, especially since ANOHNI puts vibrato on pretty much everything. I'm not opposed to vibrato (Absolutely love Sleater-Kinney with Corrin Tucker's vibrato), but here it's just too much and too in your face. At times (Like on Fistful of Love) it verges on sounding like Elvis, and it's weird. Combine that with, personally for me, quite boring music (Of what I did listen to, it kinda falls into the Everything But the Girl issue where every song occupies the same kinda vibe and tempo). It's beautifully crafted, intricate, vibrant music, but it's just not doing much for me.

Not bad in small doses but man dude is going through some stuff

I like some of AHNONI's stuff, even though I find her voice to be a little annoying. There wasn't so much good here

Different

It's fine, there are some beautiful parts for sure, but Anohni's voice is overly wobbly. And while I don't have any problem with LGBTQ people, I do have a harder time when their personality or art is basically "hey, just in case you didn't know, I'm LGBTQ". I'm sure this is a very specific message that empowers a lot of people who feel under represented, but not me; it's just too on the nose and lacks any subtlety or nuance.

terribly boring

She has a unique voice. I've heard an interview with her. Very pioneering. Not really my thing

Cool but not really my thing

Not for me.

Not really my cup of tea. Great voice though.

On its face, this doesn’t sound like it’s for me. And then I started listening… It’s a lot. The voice, the melodrama, the threadbare arrangements… However, it is certainly an artistic vision captured as an album. So it’s successful on that front, but it wasn’t a listening experience that I wanted. I understand that this album was removed from subsequent editions of the book, so I’m not feeling too bad about bailing on this record early. Another example of why I am of the opinion that an album should be 10-20 years old before it is added to the list. 2⭐️

Not really for me. Just couldn't really get in to it, didn't do much for me.

Decent sentiment, terrible execution. 1.5/5

boring

Not my thing, I found it too samey overall. I did like the piano playing here and there though.

Excessive vibrato warbling isn't my thing, your mileage may vary...

I too am a bird, but not in a way where I am fluttering around all carefree like. I’m a bird like a big ol ostrich. Runnin’ around. Gettin’ dust all over my feathers. Accosting people on safaris. That is the good life. Or! I am the noble puffin. Just chilling on the rocks of Newfoundland being all cool. See, this album is off to a good start because I am bird now. Hope There’s Someone - The question I will surely be asking myself throughout this, are these vocals the worst thing I’ve ever heard, or actually very interesting. It sounds like a modern radio song, but also completely bat shit insane. I am bewildered and perplexed. My Lady Story - I was looking into the artist during this track. Turns out they are trans and have been essentially open since this album came out. Hell yeah sister. I still can’t decide if this album is any good, but at least she seems cool. For Today I Am a Boy - I mean yeah this is pretty TRANSparent. Thank you everyone. Thank you. I’ll be here all week. Try the chip so hot that even god himself could not eat it. Man is the Baby - Another ballad and this puppy isn’t as insane as I thought. It’s just normal piano ballads with a harsh vibrato. Not the worst thing I’ve heard but meh. You Are My Sister - Ohhh this sounds like off-kilter Adele. Couldn’t put my finger on the modern reference but I think that’s it. What Can I Do? - I don’t know. Is this Thom Yorke? Way to go big guy. Fistful of Love - Hey darlin’. I know that whispering weird, intimate stuff is a trope from songs from the 50’s that ended up in 80’s prom movies, but we’re inexplicably going to include it here. The horns are most unwelcome. I just feel this record works a little better when it’s more understated. Spiralling - I mean I uhh well there’s and you have your uhhh then there’s that thing you know haha oooh boy who and there’s that uhh ho hoo ha Free at Last - What a powerful speech from our 1st prime mister Johnson Bigelow Pontoon. Bird Guhl - It’s ok, I read British. This says “Girl Girl.” Glad I could help. I am an international citizen. I uhh didn’t like this that much, but there is enough here to say that I believe it’s of value. The album seems deeply personal, even at a first glance, and while the ballads started to get same-y for me after a few tracks, there is a clear quality of song craftsmanship here. The vibrato was funny at times, haunting at others, and didn’t overstay its welcome the way I feared it would. I’m torn here. I’m not going to be bumping this one out of the speakers of my sensible compact car (gets great gas kilometrage!), but I can respect what it was trying to do. Go off, Anohni. I might uhh not really want to hear any more of said going off, but it’s clear she has an ear for the emotionally poignant. 2-2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: My Lady Story

Eh...again, not a fan of this vocalist. This just too dark. It isn't bad, but just not really my style overall. A little boring to listen to. Liked Songs: "My Lady Story" , "Man Is The Baby" , "What Can I Do?" , "Fistful Of Love"

Not a fan of the vocals 2

Another baroque/chamber pop album that tries way too hard to be different, and ends up sounding like every other airy and shallow album of the genre. Some okay slower songs towards the end, but a lot of faux intensity that feels like it's trying to convince the listener to take it seriously, when it should be focused on just being more serious. Top tracks: Fistful Of Love, Spiraling

Good voice. I want crazy about the music but overall this was fine.

Not my thing

I like the trumpets in one of the songs. But I didn't like the rest. Although I have to admit that I expected to like it even less.

Slow and soulful, not my thing, but not terrible.

2 stars - Didn't even realize the album was over because the next song played sounded like it could have been on the album.

It's very hard to love the excellent songwriting and musicianship when Anohni's voice is so damn annoying. I hate it so much. I like a couple of these songs only because they are so well written it is liked in spite of the singing. I can't get over the singing

2.5