‘Swanlights’ Give Glimpses of Reflective, Redemptive World

Led by Antony Hegarty, the British singer-songwriter, composer and visual artist, Antony and the Johnsons have created a revelatory world of their own in “Swanlight.” This fourth album showcases a further development in musical artistry while maintaining the group’s unique style. Through soulful vocal expression and dynamic instrumentation, Antony and the Johnsons create a sublime alternate universe to be experienced and felt. ”Swanlights” is a spiritual journey and an attempt to free the soul from haunting pasts.

Even the cover image—a piece by Hegarty from his series, “Cut Away the Bad”—speaks to this mission. In response to the horrific images of hunted animals, the environmental advocate created this collection as a way of restoring the “essence” and the “dignity” of the dying animal by cutting away the image of the hunter and traps.

The successful, yet peculiar first minute of the album can only be described by the cliché adage “less is more.” Here, the simplicity of “Everything is New” acts to cleanse ears of whatever chaos surrounds, and prepares listeners for the journey of self-reflection in the ten tracks that follow. The intermittent piano flowing in and out like the tide paints an aural image of a plunge into the ocean: from the calm lapping of the tide to the cymbals mimicking the crashing of waves, with piano and violins phrases rocking back and forth with the movement of the imaginary waters. It is a fitting introduction to the next track, “The Great White Ocean.” As vast as the ocean, this track dives into hearts and impels them to recall deep affections for loved ones.

Especially reflective and redemptive is the track “Ghost.” The lyrics speak of renewal: “Leave behind your shadows’ memories / Leave me / This is your day.” The instrumentation communicates this mood as well, the piano and strings forming a strong partnership. The energetic piano drives the momentum while the collection of strings provides specialized melodic accents. This combination, with the added charge of Hegarty’s emotional vocals, conjures an intense, rocking spiritual energy.

Björk appears on “Flétta”—roughly translated from Italian as “slaughter”—to create a truly beautiful vision contrary to its title. The clarity of Björk’s voice complements the purity of Hegarty’s. Together, they express a unique soulfulness with the brilliant emotion consistent throughout the rest of the album.

Even the arrangement of “Swanlights” speaks to its ability to convey its own, distilled and introspective world. Throughout the album, Hegarty employs strategically-placed pauses in instrumentation and in vocals to emphasize delicate tones and allow for moments of reflection. Despite the interspersed musical pauses, one track flows naturally and unnoticeably into another. These seamless transitions between songs sew “Swanlights” together as one masterpiece rather than a collection of individual tracks.

Antony and the Johnsons have always created music that sounds simple despite its complex instrumentation. It is almost as though they are distilling a chaos of information and emotion into one harmonic aura in an otherworldly way. “Swanlight” carries on this tradition and does still more. It can reawaken souls, inspire revelations and remind us of the true beauty of music in an alternate, redemptive reality.