I Am a Bird Now

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

Not my kind of music

Started off strong, pretty beautiful singing and song writing. But it didn’t really do much for me or go anywhere 2.5

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

Heartbreakingly emotional but goddamn the vibrato takes so much away from the listen-ability

Nah

A disappointing album after what I expected looking at the haunting album cover (of Candy Darling dying) and reading that it's chamber pop which I usually like. The voice is really whiny and annoying, the music itself is nothing very special. It's intimate and personal but it lacks in songwriting...

Nah. Not the greatest.

The music sounds nice in the gaps between the over the top vibrato. Lyrics are lost to the effect.

Don't like the singing. WAY too much vibrato for my liking. Also, it all seems overly sincere or melodramatic. Not for me. Clearly some talent, but I don't dig it.

Damn, what a missed opportunity. Anohni’s voice really shines in the slower, more melancholy portions of this album. It’s soulful, sad, and a little eerie like Nina Simone. Unfortunately, she seems more drawn to a high-pitched, quivering warble that comes off as cloying in a way usually reserved for opera singers. The album’s tragic mood feels contrived as a result. Maybe she had the wrong species of bird in mind when she wrote this?

Whenever someone else sang, the album improved.

Rock, soft, dünne Stimme, 2005 -> 2

I could listen to the instrumentals all day. The vocals sound like...not good.

Det var ei fin plate. Ikke helt min stil eller smak, men et godt musikkhåndverk.

Pretty much exaggerated vibrato

This would make for good music to fall asleep to. Seriously, in what other scenario would you play this dull and uninteresting music. Fistful of Love has some cool horns though.

It’s fine, but at some point during my listens, I want to choke that vibrato

2.3 I'd actually come across Anhoni before when exploring Bjorks discography the other year, so the voice wasn't such a shock. However, I don't get the hype. The first half of the first track the vocals are quite difficult to enjoy, almost operatic which imo isn't a good thing. The second half of the first track however, yes, that is the kind of build up and reward I'm after. However, after teasing us with what the album could be, she never takes us back there! I get the groundbreakingness of having a trans artist singing about trans perspective, but at the end of the day the primary question should be "is the music any good?" And here the answer is sadly "not really".

Liked the vibrato until it got a bit tiring. Favorite track: fistful of love other picks: hope there’s someone, baby guhl

An intimately personal album that can be tender, haunting, and beautiful. Sparse arrangements of piano, drums, bass, and strings make room for Anonhi’s unique vibrato-dominated vocals that exude emotional resonance. It’s all quite well done, but also one that I felt I was listening in on rather than really connecting with. Interesting experience but doubt I’ll go back to it.

Style over substance

Albums relies on vibrato. Gets better towards the end

I tried, but this just wasn't for me. Like all art, it's subjective. I can appreciate something and not like it all at the same time.

Not something I could get into the groove of at the time I listened to it. Grateful for the experience of something I would not have come across without the random album generator. It was reminiscent of music I did enjoy as a teenager so maybe I’d have a different opinion next time.

A bit too warbly for me. Prefer the songs in a lower key. I'm assuming some form of trans anthem. Ok, but I prefer James Blake style vocals.

The more I paid attention the less I liked it.

Singer's voice is very annoying. Sounds like David Bowie's b-sides. Very eclectic and raucous. Not for me

< The Beatles

He sounds like he’s standing on one of those goofy weight loss things

sorry sis but this was NOT it 😭🙏

I appreciate that this is something very different than most of the stuff on the list, but I really didn’t care for it. It’s a little too slow for me, although I did like “Fistful of Love.”

Not so unconvinced by the voice and vibrato, but didn't connect

Coñazo histórico 3/10->2/5

No quiero herir sensibilidades, pero...no es lo mío.

OK, just too much hipster UK music press selections now. Much praise when this was released and it just bored me senseless. Why? Why this?

She is a bird now. And I am bored.

Unfortunately they chose to make the singer the centerpiece of the album, which really only works if you are a remarkable singer, which this singer is not.

It's not super interesting, nor does it really do anything particularly new?

Listening to this over Christmas was perhaps not the best time, but I did not get this.

There were some really lovely melodies, but I didn't enjoy the vocals.

I didn't hate it but wasn't overly compelled, his voice is good but after a while the vibrato felt like a gimmick. Lyrically not overly compelling either for me.

Nah

Not for me. Voice is like scrapping a chalk board all song about there ego. Reminded me of Orval the duck.

This guy uses vibrato how I use vibrato when playing the violin to cover wrong notes, aka, all the time. I think this would have been nice without that on every note. Did he just learn this technique the week before this was recorded?

I didn't absolutely hate it. I just mostly hated it.

This seems like a deeply personal and heartfelt album, and I appreciate the emotion behind it. Unfortunately, I think that it's just OK both musically and lyrically. It does have a few strong moments, though. Favorite track: "Spiralling"

Lovely music, and he has a very nice voice. It's too bad his vocal cords have Parkinson's.

ainakin yksi hyvä biisi

that was a test of patience, a couple of tracks were wonderful but my god you had to wade through some deep deep shit to get to them.

Gave me major Sam Smith vibes but there was too much vibrato in most notes. But I liked the band.

Hm nie echt

Boring piano music and I'm not a fan of his voice.

This guy's voice...is really awful to me? The first song was giving me anxiety. The rest of them did not improve my state (although the overall sound of Fistful of Love is pretty dope). The music is not bad, but I can't deal with the vocals at all.

Gentle, kind of crooner-ish

If you like excessive vibrato, and minimalist depressing chamber pop, then this is the album for you!! It's like really really shitty Hozier. Fistful of Love is the first song on the record that shows a pulse, and it's the 7th song out of 10 on the record. The album cover is apparently some Andy Warhol superstar "Candy Darling" on her deathbed. How charming....wtf?!? I don't get the appeal of this album... Favorite songs: Fistful of Love, For Today I Am A Boy, Hope There's Someone Least favorite songs: What Can I Do?, Free at Last 2/5

Could not understand half the things they said and in generally found the music kind of dull.

Lo primero que destaca de este álbum es el vibrato súper intenso de Anohni. Aunque pueda resultar pesado, el álbum es bastante corto, así que acaba siendo soportable. Lo segundo que destaca son las letras, muy únicas y extremadamente íntimas. Los temas tratan de un periodo de confusión y de transición en la vida de la artista, y son, por lo general, bastante oscuros y tristes. La música es la parte que menos resalta, siendo típico pop de cámara, por llamarlo de alguna manera, en el que la voz toma el protagonismo y es respaldada por piano y violines, todo muy pasional. Una especie de Adele transexual depresiva. Un álbum interesante, pero nada del otro mundo más allá del contexto personal de la artista, muy bien plasmado en las letras.

I thought this was fine. I don't think I'll listen to it again though. It felt more like something I listen to as part of a paper I'm writing in college than something that felt really personal to me or moved me much.

I rolled my eyes as soon as I recognised the opening of the first track Hope There's Someone, a mawkish and sentimental dirge which has been far too overexposed, although that's hardly the fault of the artist. Overall I found the string instumentation and warbling singing unengaging, but not actually bad. Also, at a merciful 35 minutes, this did not outstay its welcome.

Not great. Don’t care for that vocal style at all. Didn’t hurt me to listen to it. But don’t care to ever hear again.

Not a fan of that voice but the chill music is kind of nice

Eigenwilliges Album, eher schlecht als recht.

It''s music, at least. It's just not good. Vocals on a different melody than the instruments makes it uneven and difficult to listen to. Singer's voice is uncomfortable to listen to. Not horrible, just not good.

Oh so very earnest

First track is God awful. It does improve after that but still nothing remarkable.

warbly.

Hozier if they were, like, 15% less annoying

At first I was struck by the gentleness of the music, but then the vibrato. That godawful vibrato. Some people dig it. I do not. Which is a real shame because musically I find myself enjoying a lot of peaceful sounds Anohni explores on this record. I especially enjoyed the contrasting of the lead vocals against Lou Reed’s grizzled tones. But that’s about all of interest here - I don’t feel compelled to come back for more. Two stars for me ⭐️⭐️

Not my thing.

That's a little bit too much for me. Lots of piano, lots of that voice I don't really like. Surely high quality songwriting and production, still it bites me and doesn't resonate.

Proof that you can be talented AND uninteresting.

Though this album has emotional and haunting moments, I never felt a connection to the music. Generally for me, if I don't like the vocalist, I find the vocal style to be on the edge of annoying, it's hard for me to listen past it and tolerate the rest. Overly dramatic, that really lessened my enjoyment factor. Would have scored higher if was an all instrumental record.

I really can't get past the fact that I do not like his voice at all. I understand it's probably doing talented things but I do not like it at all. If we're going to have to have a whiny boy vibrato voice on the list then I think James Blake is a better candidate. He's probably British too, so that would track with the rest of the list. Fistful of Love is a good song but then it fell off again for me on the next song and didn't pick up after spiralling. Extra star for the one song I liked

☀︎je me sens mal de pas aimer ça, vu que c’est clairement un album plus personnel pour anohni ☀︎c’est tellement dépressif. et comme beaucoup de gens l’ont dit, je trouve qu’il y a beaucoup trop de vibrato ☀︎c’est pas pour moi. au moins c’est pas raciste. c’est le seul point qui sauve cet album d’être 1☆

I don't think I understand this. I didn't like her voice, and there was nothing on here that made me want to listen again.

Interesting, beautiful and unique voice with tight vibrato. But this soul album is just... thin? In a way that Moses Sumney, e.g., doesn't. Is it the mix? The instrumentation? "Fistful of Love" is a bit fuller. Anyway, it's cultural significance is unquestionable, and the moments of raw emotion in "What Can I Do?" did get to me, as did "Lady Story" etc. But ultimately it feels more poetry than music, and that doesn't do it for me.

I find her voice is annoying and it puts me off what would otherwise be a very beautiful album; the best tracks are those where there's a guest vocalist, and my favourite track is "Fistful of Love".

Die Musik an sich is ja ganz nett, aber I can't mit dem vocal style

The vibrato really ruined lots of this for me. Very personal songwriting that would have more of an impact if the singing style wasn't so jarring. 2/5

The music is good but overall it's too emotional. I can't enjoy this. Holy shit... have a glass of water and go for a walk. Maybe you'll feel better if you quit moping.

It's hard to get over Anohni's tortured voice in this; I feel like that is going to be the divisive factor in this album. I think it's a bit overwrought but it is extremely unique in the same realm as Jonna Newsome. Some people love it, some people hate it. I think the songs on here are well written and well performed even, but you have to like the vibrato in her voice (and the double or triple tracked vibrato even like in "For Today I m a Boy") to deal with it. It's not something that you can ignore. It’s not for me. It’s just too much. I can respect it, but I can’t listen to this and say I enjoyed it. I’d give it a 3 but I don’t really want to listen to it again. It’s like a museum piece I don’t particularly want to see again but mostly understood.

Album 717 of 1001 Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (2005) Rating : 2 / 5 Pop? Not sure. It is certainly different. While praised for its emotional depth, unique vocal delivery, and exploration of themes like identity and transformation, I just find it ok.

I'm totally not in the mood for this so I did not enjoy it. I need to re-listen to this again on a cold winter morning suffering from seasonal depression and drinking a hot coffee, then maybe my thoughts on it will change. Current rating: 2/5

Przesłuchałem pierwszy raz - nie spodobało mi się, mega mnie irytował ten album. Przed napisaniem recenzji poczytałem trochę o albumie na Wikipedii i podobno został bardzo pozytywnie przyjęty przez krytykę, potem dostał prestiżową nagrodę i to doprowadziło go do sukcesu komercyjnego. Postanowiłem więc dać mu drugą szansę. Po drugim przesłuchaniu - wciąż mi się nie podoba i irytuje mnie. Nie znoszę nadużywania vibrato, jest jakaś grupa ludzi, którzy jak nauczą się to robić, to potem już wszystkie nuty śpiewają tylko w ten sposób, niezależnie od tego, czy to ma sens, czy nie. Taka tania popisówa jak dla mnie. Aranżacje można by nazwać oszczędnymi i post-modernistycznymi, ale dla mnie są po prostu ubogie i nudne. W zasadzie absolutnie nic nie podobało mi się w tym albumie. Przesłuchałem dwa razy i więcej mi się to już raczej nie zdarzy.

I have no problem with music that is whiny and pretending to be emotional. I can bite that but if you mumble through 80% of songs you get shitty album. Mr Anthony just go home and sober up one song that I could understand was somewhat decent.

Rating: 4/10 Nah.

Had to listen again this morning because I’d totally forgotten it. Not sure why, it’s pleasant enough.

I don't mind it and what a voice. I think there's a lot of nuance that one listen won't give you. Still, high 2s.

In a nutshell: emotive, smoky, overworked. As a sound, A&TJ is blue-eyed soul meets jazz meets chamber pop. It's a mix that can work. Anohni’s voice is reminiscent of Nina Simone and Boy George - two of Anohni's music heroes. I agree with many users on here - Anhoni's vibrato, although impressive, overpowered everything. The songs need room to breathe. The lyrics range from schmalzy (You Are My Sister) to introspective and anthemic (For Today I Am A Boy). It's lacking something to make this memorable. Overall: 3/10

Albumi #164, 03.03.2025 Aika tunteikasta tekemistä. Taitavaa, kuin mikä mutta joku koukku tästä jäi puuttumaan.

This is too slow for me. Not my thing.

Really kinda weird, I don’t know how into that one I am.