Thank You for Your Love

Resenha do Álbum

Issued as a precursor to Antony and the Johnsons' Swanlights, Thank You for Your Love contains five tracks -- the title cut is taken from the album; "My Lord, My Love," was issued as a bonus on The Crying Light, and there are a pair of surprising covers. The title is the thematic track the EP hinges on. Antony (now Anohni)'s longing has always been at the heart of her arresting, courageous, yet vulnerable voice. On this track, however, in a relaxed, easy, flowing manner, backed by a host of downtown New York jazz musicians, she makes a direct declaration of gratitude for the kind of love that provides rescue. The arrangements are retro, touching on soul, but Anohni's singing changes its shape. She allows her voice to float and hover above this backing. Surprisingly, it is free of the pain we associate with her songs. This is followed by a song unique to this release, "You Are the Treasure," which dovetails perfectly; it's a slight, lilting ballad in which she accompanies herself on piano. In addition to the gratitude expressed previously, Anohni makes a simple, yet profound declaration of love. The two covers are interesting choices. "Pressing On" was written by Bob Dylan as a gospel song that appeared on Saved, from his evangelical period. In Anohni's treatment, it becomes an impressionistic jazzy folk ballad featuring sparse guitar work from Kevin Barker, beautiful and illustrative vibes from Stefon Harris, and a rhythmic pulse provided by Greg Cohen's upright bass. Anohni is assertive while allowing the subtleties in her voice to shine, illuminating the lyric in a new way. The final track is John Lennon's "Imagine." It's understandably cringe-inducing before hearing it: the song has been played to death by radio and tortured further by its interpretations by lesser artists. Not so here. With a different cadence, sung in the first person, backed by William Basinski's tape loops and Barker's acoustic guitar, Anohni shifts the wish in Lennon's tome, creating a rumination on a vision encountered in a daydream. Her upper register moves the song from its trappings in the cultural imagination and liberates it as a respectful yet radical reinterpretation. Taken as a whole, as slight, wispy and utterly restrained as this set is, Anohni offers an entirely different aural presentation of it.

© Thom Jurek /TiVo