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Swanlights - Antony and the Johnsons
Swanlights Image
Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: With their fourth album, Antony Hegarty and the rest of his New York City band infuse atmospheric intonations, innovation, and heartfelt emotion into their experimental music.
  • Record Label: Secretly Canadian
  • Genre(s): Vocal, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Art Rock, Chamber Pop, Cabaret
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. Tiny Mix Tapes
    90
    Again and again, Antony gestures toward a light: a crying light, a swanlight, a luminous impossibility that beckons, ultimately serving only to illuminate the sadness of this world.
  2. Prefix Magazine
    Dec 21, 2010
    85
    Swanlights may not be the best of his works, but it is a welcome excursion along the path of his career.
  3. Under The Radar
    60
    While the songs of Swanlights play like a logical extension of the progression from the last two albums by Antony and the Johnsons, they also feel like a possible conclusion, and maybe even a necessary one. [Fall 2010, p. 58]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 28 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. BakaNaGaijin
    9
    Swanlights, the fourth studio album by the New York artist, is what fans might have expected: a string of beautifuly composed and orchestrated haunting songs about yearning, dealing with death and alienation, finding your own place in this unstable world. Antony sings as good as ever, and the songs feel lighter and more cheerful than the last time around. Perfect record for long, dark autumn evenings.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. Rene
    9
    After the rather glum and subdued "The crying light" Antony turned again to death, womanhood and the earth. However, for the first time, this album is much lighter in tone. The arrangements sparkle and shine, rarely has he seemed more at peace. A masterful album.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. EthanPeter
    2
    Wow. Whatever heartbreak I feel listening to "Everglade" from 'The Crying Light' is crushed into a yawn over this album. It's somehow meandering and disjointed all at once. Every song is one to two stars in iTunes, which is all the more disappointing given that Antony can make really great music.… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes

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