Antony and the Johnsons

Three and a half years since their last album seems like a long time to wait, but Another World is a worthy–if too short–addition to Antony and the Johnsons's canon.

The five-song EP opens with the title track, a gospel piano lament which signals a toned down Antony Hegarty. Gone from most of this EP is the piercing falsetto and campy theatricality that colored his last release. Instead, a more reserved Antony steps forward here. He still sings song about hope and heartbreak, but he sounds more relatable. The EP's best and most surprising moment comes halfway through "Shake That Devil," when the song dissolves into fuzz and then comes back as a call and response jazz boogie. Antony Hegarty having fun is something worth listening to.

Fans of the band may be taken aback by the subtle shift in sensibilities here, but Antony is still a stunning frontman. Ultimately, Another World should suitable whet fans' appetite for the full-length in 2009.

—Nathan Atnikov
10.15.08

The 2005 Mercury Award-winning I Am a Bird Now launched avant-garde/cabaret/chamber pop king/queen Antony into the near mainstream with its lush and heavily orchestrated outsider torch songs. Three years later, fresh from projects with Björk, Todd Haynes, and Charles Atlas, Antony and the Johnsons return with Another World, a five-song teaser EP for the group's forthcoming Crying Light album. As usual, Antony's gorgeous, mournful voice is the centerpiece, especially on the EP's namesake, a sparse, piano-led ballad that finds the singer spilling a list of his "favorite things" that he'll regret not being able to take with him into the next life. From there it's a typical "kitchen sink" EP, stocked with enough stabs at bawdy blue rave-ups ("Shake That Devil"), oddball narratives ("Hope Mountain"), and plaintive reveries ("Crackagen" and "Sing for Me") to tide fans over until the headliner arrives. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide