2/06/2005
Antony & The Johnsons
***Welcome to the debut edition of Making Flippy Floppy. My name is Patrick and will be your lone chaperone through this virtual prom of Mp3's, Photos, Gossip, and whatever else sticks. Please go wild with your comments and send me any Mp3 requests, illicit photos, catty gossip, life-changing revelations, or whatever else you might want to submit for posting. ***
Let's kick off the Mp3's with an amazing track from New York's Antony and the Johnsons. Antony is succesfully working a fascinating tragic androgynous persona, and has the bourboun-soaked falsetto rasp to accomany it. His voice takes me back to the dark, beautiful era of 4ad circa-1984, with shades of This Mortal Coil's "It'll End in Tears" and Cocteau Twins' "Treasure" (He has said repeatedly in interviews that Liz Fraser is a major influence.) The songs on thier new CD "I Am A Bird Now" are sparse and gorgeous, with wondrous bursts of high drama. The production is mostly light with minimal piano and guitar supporting Antony's fierce musings on gender crisis and identity. Soul sisters like Boy George, Rufus Wainwright and Lou Reed make ghostly appearances on the album, but even they manage to pale next to Antony's once-in-a-blue-moon vocal stylings. The cover sleeve features a startling photo of Warhol-era gender-bender Candy Darling on her death bed. It's an image which perfectly sets the mood for the tone and lyrical content of the album. Antony and the Johnsons have created the first future classic of 2005. Highly recommended.
Antony and the Johnsons - For Today I Am A Boy
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