Swanlights
Encyclopedia
Swanlights is the fourth studio album by Antony and the Johnsons
, released on October 12, 2010 worldwide through Secretly Canadian
, and October 11, 2010 in the United Kingdom
through Rough Trade
. To accompany the album release, the band has produced a 144 page art book also titled Swanlights, which includes paintings, collages, photography and writing by Antony
.
The album was preceded by lead single/EP Thank You for Your Love
, released on August 30, 2010 in the UK and September 1 in the US.
All songs by Antony except "Ghost" and "Salt Silver Oxygen" by Antony and Nico Muhly
and "Flétta" by Antony and Björk.
All songs included on Hardcover Edition except "Flétta" by Antony and Björk.
A deluxe edition is also available with additional tracks via iTunes LP
:
while two of the tracks stem from live recordings in Copenhagen and London in 2008 and 2009. Antony undertook a project to create a companion piece to the Swanlights album in the form of an art book in collaboration with Abrams
Image Publishing, Garrick Gott and Joie Iacono, incorporating drawings, paintings, portraits and poems from a mass of work that was creating during recordings of "The Crying Light" and "Swanlights". In interviews, Antony described his work on Swanlights as "a collision between joy and a sense of hopelessness". Antony said he was struggling to come to terms with the idea that he was part of a society that was having a “virulent” impact on the earth.
In 2009, the New York Times wrote a feature on Antony and his earliest exhibition of his work at the ISIS Gallery in London
entitled The Creek. Artwork from Swanlights has subsequently been shown at the Agnes B Gallery in Paris, in Turin, and by curator Jerome Sans in the exhibition "It's Only Rock And Roll Baby" in Brussels and Milan.
, conducted by Rob Moose, with a special screening as a backdrop of "Mr. O's Book of the Dead" by Chiaki Nagano. Antony dedicated the evening to Kazuo Ohno
who died in June of that year. Antony said this about Kazuo's passing, "I want to express my sorrow at the passing of Kazuo Ohno
, who died today in a hospital in Yokohama at the age of 103. He was my hero and my teacher. I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to meet him and get a little closer to his family and his work earlier this year when we visited the Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio in Japan. I thank him for awakening a sense of a child inside me. I will dream of him forever, and I will search for his footsteps in the dust of life before me. I wish only for his flourishing joy."
The evenings songs were arranged by Antony, Nico Muhly
and Rob Moose consisting of tracks spanning Antony's four albums.
's review stated “Swanlights might be Antony's richest album yet, with musical and thematic charms that take their time to take their hold….” Mojo
scored Swanlights with 4 out of 5 stars saying, "Death, love, the ghosts they leave behind; these are grand themes, and Antony channels their spirit with magical grace."
In October 2010 Antony was invited to "takeover" The Guardian
's music and arts page that ran for weeks leading up to the release of Swanlights. The takeover consisted of a slide show of Antony's artwork with narration by Antony of selections from the Swanlights book, a phone conversation between Antony and Björk
, an essay on the environment vs capitalism by Jerry Mander and several other articles dealing with song writing, Marina Abramovic
, videos and more.
Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators.-Career:British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released...
, released on October 12, 2010 worldwide through Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. It was started in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill. Their first release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic...
, and October 11, 2010 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
through Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
. To accompany the album release, the band has produced a 144 page art book also titled Swanlights, which includes paintings, collages, photography and writing by Antony
Antony Hegarty
Antony Hegarty is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.-Early life:...
.
The album was preceded by lead single/EP Thank You for Your Love
Thank You for Your Love
Thank You for Your Love is an EP by Antony and the Johnsons released on August 30, 2010 via Rough Trade Records and Secretly Canadian in the US and also serves as the lead single of the band's 2010 album Swanlights....
, released on August 30, 2010 in the UK and September 1 in the US.
Track listing
- "Everything Is New" – 4:32
- "The Great White Ocean" – 4:59
- "Ghost" – 3:08
- "I'm in Love" – 3:52
- "Violetta" – 0:35
- "Swanlights" – 6:08
- "The Spirit Was Gone" – 3:17
- "Thank You for Your Love" – 4:14
- "Flétta" (with BjörkBjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
) – 4:23 - "Salt Silver Oxygen" – 3:52
- "Christina's Farm" – 7:21
All songs by Antony except "Ghost" and "Salt Silver Oxygen" by Antony and Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly is a contemporary classical music composer, who has worked and recorded with classical and pop/rock musicians. He currently lives in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan in New York City.-Early years:...
and "Flétta" by Antony and Björk.
All songs included on Hardcover Edition except "Flétta" by Antony and Björk.
A deluxe edition is also available with additional tracks via iTunes LP
ITunes LP
iTunes LP is a format for interactive album artwork introduced by Apple Inc. on the 9 September 2009. It is similar to the CMX format being developed by the 4 major record labels, and operates within the iTunes 9 software, allowing the user to view multimedia elements alongside the music...
:
- "You Are the Treasure" – 2:11
- "My Lord My Love" – 3:16
- "Pressing On" – 4:28
- "Imagine" – 4:36
- "Thank You for Your Love" – 4:10
Artwork and book
The Swanlights project consists of music and artwork that Antony has been focusing on for the last three years. Many of the songs that appear on the album had been recorded during tracking for The Crying LightThe Crying Light
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...
while two of the tracks stem from live recordings in Copenhagen and London in 2008 and 2009. Antony undertook a project to create a companion piece to the Swanlights album in the form of an art book in collaboration with Abrams
Abrams
Abrams may refer to:* Abrams * Abrams v. United States 250 U.S. 616 , U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war* M1 Abrams, main battle tank* Abrams, Wisconsin, U.S. town...
Image Publishing, Garrick Gott and Joie Iacono, incorporating drawings, paintings, portraits and poems from a mass of work that was creating during recordings of "The Crying Light" and "Swanlights". In interviews, Antony described his work on Swanlights as "a collision between joy and a sense of hopelessness". Antony said he was struggling to come to terms with the idea that he was part of a society that was having a “virulent” impact on the earth.
In 2009, the New York Times wrote a feature on Antony and his earliest exhibition of his work at the ISIS Gallery in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
entitled The Creek. Artwork from Swanlights has subsequently been shown at the Agnes B Gallery in Paris, in Turin, and by curator Jerome Sans in the exhibition "It's Only Rock And Roll Baby" in Brussels and Milan.
Concert
One special event was performed in support of Swanlights at Lincoln Center in New York City on October 30, 2010 with the Orchestra of St. Luke'sOrchestra of St. Luke's
The Orchestra of St. Luke's is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City.It was founded in the summer of 1979 at the Caramoor International Music Festival in Katonah, New York....
, conducted by Rob Moose, with a special screening as a backdrop of "Mr. O's Book of the Dead" by Chiaki Nagano. Antony dedicated the evening to Kazuo Ohno
Kazuo Ohno
was a Japanese dancer who became a guru and inspirational figure in the dance form known as Butoh. It was written of him that his very presence was an "artistic fact."...
who died in June of that year. Antony said this about Kazuo's passing, "I want to express my sorrow at the passing of Kazuo Ohno
Kazuo Ohno
was a Japanese dancer who became a guru and inspirational figure in the dance form known as Butoh. It was written of him that his very presence was an "artistic fact."...
, who died today in a hospital in Yokohama at the age of 103. He was my hero and my teacher. I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to meet him and get a little closer to his family and his work earlier this year when we visited the Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio in Japan. I thank him for awakening a sense of a child inside me. I will dream of him forever, and I will search for his footsteps in the dust of life before me. I wish only for his flourishing joy."
The evenings songs were arranged by Antony, Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly is a contemporary classical music composer, who has worked and recorded with classical and pop/rock musicians. He currently lives in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan in New York City.-Early years:...
and Rob Moose consisting of tracks spanning Antony's four albums.
Critical response
Stereogum placed Swanlights in its Top 50 Albums of the year at #8. Tiny Mix Tapes gave Swanlights a 4.5/5 saying that “yet another gorgeous creation by one of the most unique artists of the 2000s.”. PitchforkPitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
's review stated “Swanlights might be Antony's richest album yet, with musical and thematic charms that take their time to take their hold….” Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
scored Swanlights with 4 out of 5 stars saying, "Death, love, the ghosts they leave behind; these are grand themes, and Antony channels their spirit with magical grace."
In October 2010 Antony was invited to "takeover" The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's music and arts page that ran for weeks leading up to the release of Swanlights. The takeover consisted of a slide show of Antony's artwork with narration by Antony of selections from the Swanlights book, a phone conversation between Antony and Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, an essay on the environment vs capitalism by Jerry Mander and several other articles dealing with song writing, Marina Abramovic
Marina Abramovic
Marina Abramović is a Belgrade-born New York-based Serbian performance artist who began her career in the early 1970s. Active for over three decades, she has recently begun to describe herself as the “grandmother of performance art.” Abramović's work explores the relationship between performer and...
, videos and more.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norwegian Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
4 |
| Italian Album Chart | 14 |