The Crying Light
by Antony and the Johnsons
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Rolling Stone
    60
    Antony Hegarty's tremulous warble is a strange and marvelous instrument--and for many, an acquired taste. The Crying Light, this diva-dude's third album, spotlights his haunting vocals with few distractions, using piano and low-key orchestral arrangements as foils for him to swoop and shiver over.
  2. The Guardian
    60
    The album's big problem is not a lack of quality; it's the feeling that you've been here before, or you've been somewhere so like here as to make little difference.
  3. Dusted Magazine
    60
    As an album, The Crying Light is neither as revelatory nor as consistent as "I Am A Bird Now."
  5. Dot Music
    60
    Too often you can hear the self-satisfied smirk on these songs, the little finger held out affectedly at right angles, the raised eyebrow as he plays to his adoring audience.
  6. PopMatters
    40
    The Crying Light is a record that effectively changes Antony’s character and makes him a difficult entity to relate to, forcing him more into the realm of animatronics than human existence.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best Album of 2009

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 64 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 64
  3. Negative: 10 out of 64
  1. All_ButTrU4
    Dec 2, 2021
    7
    Whatever hopes you held in the aftermath of "I Am a Bird Now," they have been exponentially exceeded in poetry, music, and honesty here.
  2. Ricko
    Jan 16, 2014
    8
    Unwelcoming and inaccessible but moments of brilliance

    While not their best work, "The Crying Light" is still a strong collection of    Unwelcoming and inaccessible but moments of brilliance

    While not their best work, "The Crying Light" is still a strong collection of beautifully arranged songs. The record has that inaccessible feel that often comes with this band, the songs sound so otherwordly that at times the music can be disconcerting and feels like your intruding on one of Antony Hegarty's personal moment.
    It's hard to describe but the album gives a very unwelcoming vibe on occasion. You just don't feel like you belong . While quiet a sombre and dark album, musically and lyrically the band are in flying form for the majority of this record. Kiss my Name, one of the very few uplifting tracks on the album is the highlight for me, a real magical song that staggers dramatically back and forth between sadness and elation. The record probably could have done with a few more of these moments. Epilepsy is Dancing is another high point. Overall, this is a very solid if very arty album.    … Full Review »
  3. RylandDinneen
    May 25, 2013
    7
    Yes, it's almost unbearably cloying and very eye-roll inducing with its lyrics, but The Crying Light is a very beautiful album to listen andYes, it's almost unbearably cloying and very eye-roll inducing with its lyrics, but The Crying Light is a very beautiful album to listen and absorb. Plus one of the most emotional male voices in existence.… Full Review »
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