Antony and the Johnsons: Thank You For Your Love EP
Antony and the Johnsons have been universally praised. The group’s second album, I Am a Bird Now received rave reviews from Pitchfork, The Guardian, and The Observer among others. The album actually reached gold status in the UK and Sweden. The group’s next album, 2009’s The Crying Light actually reached number one on European Top 100 Albums. The group’s latest album, Swanlights has done well critically as well as commercially. In support of the album, the lead single “Thank You For Your Love” was given its own five song EP.
The EP’s title track is obviously the star of the show. The track takes Antony’s fragile voice and juxtaposes it with a big band horn section that reminds me of the way The Doors used horns on “Touch Me”. The horns are kept soft on the mix assumably to compliment’s generally soft delivery. Despite the soft delivery, Antony sounds much more confident and content than he generally has on previous releases. It makes “Thank You For Your Love” a definite single of the year candidate.
Despite the strong anchor, the Thank You For Your Love EP is not an incredibly strong release. “You Are The Treasure” seems like an obvious compliment to “Thank You For Your Love” but the track clocks in at just over 2 minutes and seems just like a throw away track.
The last two tracks on the album find Antony taking on others’ work. “Pressing On” is a cover of Bob Dylan‘s 1980 track. Adding delicate guitar arpeggios and light percussion, the track is turned into a confident ballad about perseverance.
The EP closes with a cover of John Lennon‘s “Imagine”. It is odd to hear a cover of such an iconic song, especially because Antony attempts to make the song his own. The track features only an acoustic guitar and does include the signature walk of A-A#-B in between lines. It is an interesting listen but it is not something I see myself listening to repeatedly.
I suppose that sentiment of not listening to it repeatedly is something that can be applied to the entire Thank You For Your Love EP. Besides the song for which the EP is named, nothing stands out as a must hear; everything seems like worthwhile filler but filler nonetheless. Huge Antony and the Johnsons fans might find the EP necessary to own but the rest of us could probably pass on it.
Rating: 6.3/10
MP3: Antony and the Johnsons “Imagine”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!