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Swanlights
by
Swanlights Image
Metascore
79

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

User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 32 Ratings

  • 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.
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  • Record Label: Secretly Canadian
  • Genre(s): Vocal, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Art Rock, Chamber Pop, Cabaret
  • More Details and Credits »

Top Track

Thank You for Your Love
Ooh, thank you for your love Thank you for your love When all is falling in the seizure of pain Ooh, thank you for your love Thank you for your... See the rest of the song lyrics
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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. AllMusic
    80
    Swanlights, the fourth full-length by Antony and the Johnsons, reveals that 2009's The Crying Light was a stepping stone that furthered his sophistication as a songwriter, arranger, and singer.
  3. Q Magazine
    80
    He'll always be too mannered for mainstream acceptance, but there's unarguable brilliance here. [Nov 2010, p.105]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Delusions of Adequacy
    Oct 27, 2010
    80
    The styles that parade their way onto Swanlights would probably be the most noticeably diverse change from what happened on previous albums.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Dec 23, 2010
    75
    He captures the otherworldly more often than not. Occasionally, though, the songs overreach or miss some central point.
  6. Clash Music
    Oct 27, 2010
    70
    Swanlights is less straightforward than his other records and more operatic. It's still astonishingly beautiful.
  7. The Guardian
    60
    The fourth Antony and the Johnsons album is more diverse and positive than 2008's The Crying Light, with familiar concerns of death and alienation broadening into family, human bonds, and the joys of love.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. BakaNaGaijin
    Oct 11, 2011
    9
    Swanlights, the fourth studio album by the New York artist, is what fans might have expected: a string of beautifuly composed and orchestratedSwanlights, 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
  2. Rene
    Oct 22, 2010
    9
    After the rather glum and subdued "The crying light" Antony turned again to death, womanhood and the earth. However, for the first time, thisAfter 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.… Collapse
  4. Ricko
    Jan 31, 2014
    8
    lures you into a fog of beautiful melody
    To say this is a mellow affair would be putting it mildly. The sound Antony and his buddys create is    lures you into a fog of beautiful melody
    To say this is a mellow affair would be putting it mildly. The sound Antony and his buddys create is difficult to describe and you really have to listen to them to understand what I mean by this. Can you really label their music pop? The music is dished up in equal measures of beauty and weirdness. The songs are artfully and intricately put together and there is obvious craft gone into the record. There are no bad tracks and the worst I can say about the record is that the title track, while it has its moments, is a bit long winded and I'm not sure if it ever gets to a point. "Ghost", "Flétta" and "Salt Silver Oxygen" are the stand outs.

    If I was to try and describe the mood of this record, it's like the listener is lured into a fog of beautiful melody only to find themselves falling into a bog and not being able to get out.    … Expand
  5. EthanPeter
    Oct 20, 2010
    2
    Wow. Whatever heartbreak I feel listening to "Everglade" from 'The Crying Light' is crushed into a yawn over this album. It's somehowWow. 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

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