I Cry Glitter is Love!

[dotinthesky]

Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light, Jan 2009
It's taken me just about nine months to finally appreciate the beauty of this album. Maybe I was already over winter when it came out, and there was no space for it in my spring or summer. Now that the fun is past, it resurfaced by accident on my iPod and made me pay attention to my soggy commute through Victoria Park and Regent's Canal. It also helped that I've been feeling kinda down and struggling with insomnia. I come home sometimes from work with a splitting headache and fill up the bathtub. There's no better way to unwind or test an album then soak in the darkness - just one candle and the stereo for company. I feel some of Billie Holiday's soul in Antony. Odd brass sections confuse me into believing the tower block is creaking. The songs play together like a story shared, culminating in the perfect "Aeon". I'm left wanting to hop out and sign up to the newsletter that will get me tickets to his next gig. Then I wonder if he's changing people who listen to him the way some bands have done in the past. Like the Velvet and the Smiths. I think he is. I think he has.

Comments

[knacker-prince.livejournal.com]

You really have to be in the mood for A&TJ, don't ya.
Maybe I'll give em another spin now that dismal autumn's here.
Been listening to a lot of night time music again...

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

With this album, you really do. But once your mood and his music are aligned, it's magic and there's no way back.

[blu-bear.livejournal.com]

Thanks, you've reminded me to listen to it. And thanks to Spotify for letting me right now.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

In behalf of myself and Spotify, you are very welcome.

[(Anonymous)]

sorry to hear about your insomnia and headaches :-(

if you're taking meds for your headaches (excedrin works well), make sure to take them as soon as the headache starts. otherwise the pain in your head can make it difficult for your stomach to absorb the medication. one weird remedy that works for me is ice-packs. i actually have an ice-pack hat that i use! it looks dumb but it works.

i hope you feel better.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Thank you. And who might you be, me dear?

[grace-engel.livejournal.com]

sorry didn't realize i wasn't logged in until after i posted. grace.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Way to keep me in suspense! :-)

I've never heard of an ice-pack hat... I don't suppose I can go into the bath with it? I used to take a lot more pills for headaches in the past but now i just try to coast through it since it's usually related to caffeine or lack of water. But I also get them from lack of sleep so right now I'm on a mission to beat the insomnia and be rested in the morning.

[grace-engel.livejournal.com]

right, sorry about that! don't see why you couldn't take it in the bath. it just might not stay cool for as long. the mechanism for many headaches is thought to involve dilation of the blood vessels in the head, which causes pain. applying a cold compress causes vasoconstriction, thus helping to relieve the pain. hope you're sleeping better soon. i hate insomnia. and migraines for that matter. they all suck.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I'll definitely try a cold compress next time - have never done so before! Thank you for the tip. :-)

[olamina.livejournal.com]

I get nervous just listening to Antony. His music evokes too much emotion in me. I feel like sobbing. So I usually just avoid it.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

By the time the album reached Aeon, I was in that state too. But sometimes it's a real pleasure to let go and feel that - there isn't much art in the world that can do that to me.

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

I've seen Antony live about a half dozen times and loved him every time but I've never quite been in that right mood for his recorded output.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

The first time I heard him (on CD) I had a very negative response. It has taken me years to reach this point, where I actually quite love his music. It also helps that he's such a vocal supporter of gay rights, and seems to mix with the right people in his collaborations. I'd LOVE to see him live.

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

He's really something. I wish I could like his CDs more but I just put them on and can't seem to settle into them. Whereas when I've seen him live, it's like you can't really resist the mood - he just controls the room and you're with him every step of the way.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

Ah, good, I've caught up on your journal now. Missed you these last few months. I was quite anti-LJ for a bit but I do still see its uses. I think I was just doing too much whining and saving all the fun for my blog, which made me not want to write on LJ b/c I felt like a sad sack.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Ah, I didn't know you were feeling like that about LJ! I sometimes feel the same but ultimately I think LJ is perfect for sharing things in a locked-post context that you can't/won't share with the rest of the world. Getting opinions from strangers, etc.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

Yep, I feel the same way about it, that's why I came back.