#248: Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (2005)

Emily: From the photo that makes up I Am a Bird Now's album cover, one could assume that they were in for something dark, depressing, and/or weird. The hospital bed, the sad girl with dark lipstick, the name of the file on Wikipedia including the word "deathbed" - it all points to that. In this case, however, you just can't judge an album by its cover art. I Am a Bird Now, while not exactly upbeat, is neither dark nor depressing nor weird. It's a collection of simple songs full of emotion and personal connections. Antony Hegarty, the lead singer, clearly pours his heart into his work. This shows in the lyrics and music, but it comes through most strongly in the way he sings. The result is a beautiful album that will stay with you, just waiting to be listened to again and again.

Favorite Tracks: You Are My Sister; Fistful of Love; My Lady Story

Zack: The first person to tell me about Antony and the Johnsons was my freshman year suitemate. He hyped it to me in the spring of 2010 because he was excited about their fourth album coming out the following fall in light of their third album, which he had fallen in love with the previous year. Considering his other big recommendation for me was G. Love and the Special Sauce, whose debut album I still enjoy years after we first listened to it for blog-related purposes (BRP), I probably should have heeded it back then. I Am a Bird Now, while not one of the two albums he had such a passion or high expectations for, is just very sweet sounding. It sort of reminded me of Nick Drake, not in tone (definitely not in tone, at all), because of their mutual simplicity. While Antony Hegarty was able to form a complete band and bring in a who’s-who of guest musicians – Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart and (surprisingly) Boy George! – there’s no denying that the driving force of each song is Hegarty’s piano work and his singing. Even when he cedes some control of the song over to one of these legendary or, at the very least, exceptionally talented musicians, it’s still very clear that each and every song is his creation.

Favorite Tracks: Fistful of Love; My Lady Story; You Are My Sister

#107: Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands (2004)

 

Emily: As I was listening to Rejoicing in the Hands, my friend Jen said she was looking for some soft, lullaby-ish music. Luckily, I didn’t have to look (or, rather, listen) too far. Devendra Banhart’s brand of modern folk has a quiet, sleepy quality to it that seemed to fit the bill perfectly. That’s not to say he’s boring, however. The pretty, thoughtful music can peacefully fade into the background, but listen more closely. Banhart’s eclectic style is revealed as the music evolves throughout the album, keeping the listener engaged and wondering what could be coming next.

Favorite Tracks: See Saw; Autumn’s Child; This Beard is for Siobhan

Zack: “So what are you up to tonight, Zack?”

“Not much. Probably just gonna hang around. Oh, and I think I’m listening to a Devendra Banhart album for the blog.”

“Dude! I love Devendra Banhart!”

This is a conversation I had with my friend/co-worker Matt Henry. Unfortunately, I can’t type the way he talks, or else it would be much funnier. But he got me excited to listen to this album. Turns out, excited isn’t really the right way to go into it. It’s all acoustic and very mellow, but with a touch of lo-fi handywork. Kind of like an indiefied Jack Johnson. Rejoicing in the Hands is a great clear-your-head album. It was enjoyable, but not exactly inspiring. At a loss for what to write, I decided to wait until the following day and talk it over with Matt, in case he knew some interesting tidbits about the album that Wikipedia failed to illuminate:

“So I listened to Rejoicing in the Hands Last Night”

“Oh I love that album! Not my favorite but it’s definitely really good.”

“Yeah I thought so too. I’m not really sure what to write about though. Any ideas?”

“You should check out Niño Rojo. That album’s really good.”

“Okay, I will. But that doesn’t really help me with this review.”

“I don’t know, man. Insect Eyes is a pretty creepy song.”

As you can see, that was not particularly helpful. Still unable to think of anything to write, I toyed with the idea of writing an entire review based around how I made it halfway through the album before I realized Devendra was a dude. That didn’t quite seem like enough material, especially since I summed up my whole point in one sentence there. But then it hit me! What if I write a review about how I didn’t know what to write about the album. And here we are.

Favorite Tracks: Fall; This Is the Way; Insect Eyes