The Crying Light

The Crying Light
Studio album by
Antony and the Johnsons
ReleasedJanuary 19, 2009
GenreBaroque pop
Length39:24
LabelSecretly Canadian
ProducerAntony
Antony and the Johnsons chronology
I Am a Bird Now
(2005) 		The Crying Light
(2009) 		Swanlights
(2010)
Singles from The Crying Light
  1. "Another World"
    Released: October 7, 2008
  2. "Epilepsy Is Dancing"
    Released: April 26, 2009
  3. "Aeon"
    Released: August 3, 2009
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10[1]
Metacritic80/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubA[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
The Guardian[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
NME8/10[8]
Pitchfork8.6/10[9]
Q[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Spin[12]

The Crying Light is Antony and the Johnsons' third studio album and the follow-up to the band's widely acclaimed second LP, I Am a Bird Now.[13][14] The album was released on January 19, 2009, and preceded by lead single, "Another World", released through Secretly Canadian on October 7, 2008. The Crying Light features orchestral arrangements by Anohni and Nico Muhly.[15]

The album was released digitally in advance of the release. Some pre-orders contained an alternate version of "Another World". Pre-orders of the physical album from Antony's official website facilitated a full album download, including bonus track "My Lord My Love", a week prior to the official release.

The album peaked in the Billboard European Top 100 at Number 1.

Antony has described the theme of the album as being "about landscape and the future."[16]

Ann Powers wrote of The Crying Light for the LA Times online, "It's the most personal environmentalist statement possible, making an unforeseen connection between queer culture's identity politics and the green movement. As music, it's simply exquisite – more controlled and considered than anything Antony and the Johnsons have done and sure to linger in the minds of listeners."[17]

  1. ^ "The Crying Light by Antony And The Johnsons reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  2. ^ "Reviews for The Crying Light by Antony and the Johnsons". Metacritic. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Jurek, Thom. "The Crying Light – Antony and the Johnsons". AllMusic. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Battaglia, Andy (January 27, 2009). "Antony & The Johnsons: The Crying Light". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (January 14, 2009). "The Crying Light". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Petridis, Alexis (January 16, 2009). "Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light". The Guardian. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Powers, Ann (January 20, 2009). "Album review: Antony and the Johnsons' 'The Crying Light'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Dosanjh, Ash (January 16, 2009). "Antony And The Johnsons: The Crying Light". NME. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Masters, Marc (January 19, 2009). "Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light". Q (271): 118. February 2009.
  11. ^ Hermes, Will (January 22, 2009). "Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  12. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (February 2009). "Unnatural Man". Spin. 25 (2): 81. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Ayers, Michael D. (January 13, 2009). Antony Hegarty, Transformer. Village Voice. Retrieved on January 17, 2009.
  14. ^ Baltin, Steven (January 15, 2009). Antony Is Drawn Toward the 'Light'. Spinner. Retrieved on January 17, 2009.
  15. ^ Wood, Mikael (January 20, 2009). "Review: Antony and the Johnsons' The Crying Light". Boston Phoenix.
  16. ^ Exclaim! News: New Antony and the Johnsons Album out in September Archived 15 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Pop & Hiss". Los Angeles Times. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)