The Decade in Music

Released: February 1, 2005
Metacritic Score: 88
Genre: Indie, Rock
Length: 35:29 (10 Tracks)
Label: Secretly Canadian
Follows: Hope There's Someone
Precedes: You Are My Sister

Playing this for the first time, I really had no idea what to expect.  Most of Metacritic’s reviews focused on Antony Hegarty’s top-notch vocals, and listed the genre as indie/rock (can’t get much broader than that, can we now?)  Apart from those two things, I had neither heard nor read anything else about Antony and the Johnsons.

Listen to "Bird Gehrl"



I really, really like the way the album kicks off; there’s no denying the power and beauty of the opening track, Hope There’s Someone, and the piano crescendo toward the end of the song is probably the best moment on the album.

All things considered though, the final two tracks Free at Last, and Bird Gehrl are my favorites. Free At Last is an avant-gardeish number that opens to a mysterious message pounded out in morse code, and ultimately sounds more like recited poetry than song.  Tracks that lean toward the conceptual or experimental can throw off the flow of an album if placed or used improperly, but in this case I just think it works so ridiculously well

Free At Last finishes with a deceiving, “Ladies and gentlemen, Anthony and the Johnsons,” that really fooled me into thinking the album was over.  Not so—thankfully, Antony gives us one more offering, and ladies and gentlemen it’s a winner.  Much as Hope there’s Someone at the album’s beginning, Bird Gehrl closes the collection by gradually building toward a stunning peak that plays on and resolves the album’s title and concept, “I am a bird now.”

Structurally, I thought the way the album closed was absolutely amazing.  I was deceived enough by the closing line of Free at Last to be genuinely surprised when Bird Gehrl started.  It was probably the only time I’ve ever felt like I was listening to an encore on a studio recorded album.  Cool stuff.

The Bottom Line:

I couldn’t be happier to kick off this project with an album like this.  This is an incredible collection, and hearing music like this is exactly why I decided to begin this project in the first place.  It’s only fairly recently that my interest in music has become pronounced enough that I actively spend a lot of time seeking out new and interesting artists, rather than passively waiting to hear of them from someone else.

The fact is, in all likelihood I never would have heard this album if not for this project, and that’s a real shame because it’s pretty dang good.

Quick Picks 

• Favorite Song: After about three times through the album, it’s probably Bird Gehrl.
• Close Second: Fistful of Love: Really great song, making a real strong case for favorite.
• Least Fave?  The whole album is very, very good, but ultimately Spiraling probably interests me least.
• Outstanding Lyric?  I love what’s going on in the second to last track, Free at Last.  “Some of these mornings, bright and fair / I thank God, I’m free at last.
• Favorite Moment: Hands down, from about 2:40 until the end of Hope There’s Someone.  Can’t think of a better way to close out an album than the pounding crescendo offered here by Hegarty.

On Deck: Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins