I Am a Bird Now

AHNONI and the Johnsons are a chamber pop ensemble out of New York City, fronted by singer-songwriter AHNONI. If there was ever a throughline for this group that helps give it a bit more identity, it is transgender rights. After all, part of their name comes from trans and human rights activist Marsha P. Johnson, and AHNONI herself has transitioned, which is why I'm not going to deadname them or the group.

If anything, getting into the sound of I Am a Bird Now, AHNONI has this soulful vibrato delivery akin to Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, very much rooted in that sincere yet quietly powerful command behind the mic. Her lyrics provide insight into the mental process of transition, striving for one's happiness and self-worth against the perceptions society places on them. It's a sentiment that remains relevant in today's sociopolitical climate. It certainly helps to have some notable collaborators, such as the heartfelt duet with Boy George on "You Are My Sister", Rufus Wainwright taking lead on the elegant piano-driven interlude "What Can I Do?", and the spoken intro from Lou Reed that gives way to the low-key doo-wop swagger of "Fisftul of Love". That's not to mention the rich, organic instrumentation that pervades this record, elegant without overwhelming the vocal performance at the center.

I will admit I was not expecting such a profound record like this on my album journey. I Am a Bird Now showcases the kind of uncompromising strife to exist. It's not something I usually seek out, speaking as a straight heterosexual male. But I can't deny how well AHNONI and the Johnsons reigned it in.

It's definitely high quality, but it's just not something I would choose to listen to

“I Am A Bird Now” by Antony and The Johnsons is a collage of exaggeratedly melodramatic songs that at first glance sound like singer/songwriter pieces from the 1950s. The singer's broad vibrato makes the album, recorded in 2005, seem even more anachronistic. I generally like it when artists play with historical set pieces and mix different styles. However, the result is often a matter of taste, and for me, “I Am A Bird Now” seems rather uninspired and difficult to access in this regard. Perhaps it is too quiet on the one hand and too theatrical on the other.
I can well imagine that there is a market and a scene for this kind of music, but it's definitely not my thing.

I regret reading the reviews on this, because now I can't really hear anything other than the vibrato. Not that I likely wouldn't have zeroed in on it myself, but it kinda feels like my dislike for this album is more suggested than natural.

Anyways, yeah the vibrato is distracting, especially since ANOHNI puts vibrato on pretty much everything. I'm not opposed to vibrato (Absolutely love Sleater-Kinney with Corrin Tucker's vibrato), but here it's just too much and too in your face. At times (Like on Fistful of Love) it verges on sounding like Elvis, and it's weird.

Combine that with, personally for me, quite boring music (Of what I did listen to, it kinda falls into the Everything But the Girl issue where every song occupies the same kinda vibe and tempo). It's beautifully crafted, intricate, vibrant music, but it's just not doing much for me.

ovo je od druge SEKUNDE nepodnošljivo. i pjevanje i tekstovi krindž na jednoj novoj razini za koju sve dosad nisam znao da postoji. pjevač nek se ubije, ionako nije prava trandža ako tako ne skonča

Not for me.

Excessive vibrato warbling isn't my thing, your mileage may vary...

Más allá de la persona no puede gustarte la música y no disfrutar de "Hope There's Someone". Otra que tenía guardada era "For Today I Am a Boy" y otras igual de interesantes "My Lady Story", "Man Is the Baby", "You Are My Sister" y "Bird Gurhl".

This would make for good music to fall asleep to. Seriously, in what other scenario would you play this dull and uninteresting music. Fistful of Love has some cool horns though.

Listening to the whole thing together it's pretty coherent but let's face it if I were to pull one song out and listen to it I'd be like "what is this shit"

The first thing I thought when checking this out was "wow, those vocals are a lot", then I went to eat a piece of cake, which was, I guess, the art digestion buffer I needed, because when I came back I found them much more palatable. Whether or not this entirely mundane series of events actually changed my relationship with this art, I'm glad I was able to adjust to the sound here, because, there is a *lot* of interesting stuff here. Firstly, I would like to mention how glad I am that there is some trans representation on the list. Especially since Anohni (her name chosen after the release of I Am a Bird Now) speaks so frankly about gender, her trans experience and how it has effected her life and her perception of herself. There are some songs here that I feel pretty deeply, a lot of these ideas hit *awfully* close to home, I'll leave it like that. Anyways, the music here feels beautiful and fragile. It didn't take me long to fully acclimate to her voice, and I think that it suits the art here very well. The instrumental arrangements are just as important, the strings and piano are just incredibly beautiful across this whole album. The vocal guests also do a fantastic job here: Boy George, Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed, Devendra Banhart, and Julia Yasuda all feature and all do amazing work. Honestly, most of these people are really legendary in their own right. If I have to nitpick a little, my biggest problem here is probably that Hope There's Someone, the first song here, is probably the best. I'd have to give this one more time before deciding if it deserves a 5, but I do feel comfortable with a strong 4.

5/10

OK, just too much hipster UK music press selections now. Much praise when this was released and it just bored me senseless. Why? Why this?

It's not super interesting, nor does it really do anything particularly new?

I’m at a 5. I am so glad this is on the list.

I suppose it’s only just now hitting me how much of this list so far has been mostly cisgender men. It’s just not something I’ve actively thought about, but… damn, this one really proves that point, huh? This is a beautiful album documenting the transition of our lead singer, ANOHNI. Her voice is great, regardless of the vibrato that sort of sours the earliest tracks on this album, when the instrumentation isn’t as potent. When the instrumentation does get going, this album truly begins to soar in a harmonic way. The quality of the music itself matches up with the messaging of the lyricism & how brilliantly her pain & frustration is expressed, meeting the moment in a way that’s evocative of the soul singers of the 1950s & 60s that this is so obviously inspired by. It’s a perfectly structured album, and I think “Bird Gerhl” is a gorgeous closing track. The entire 35 minutes, no matter how slowly they may start from a purely musical standpoint, all flow together in a harmony. It’s a beautiful album, and one where words currently fail me. What a piece of art. It’s a 5, and I am fully & utterly stunned.

I’m also pissed off that public opinion towards the right for transgender people to simply exist has flipped as harshly as it has throughout the 20 years since this album came out, and the ongoing nightmare that has been the second Trump administration. It is incredibly easy to demonize that which you have never truly met or known, and I feel as blessed as I have to have met so many people that have transitioned or are actively transitioning. This album is a reminder that it truly is gender *affirming* care. It is an affirmation of identity, of happiness, and of one’s true self. To demonize that affirmation speaks more to the sad, sad insecurities of those who will never be able to find happiness in the same way. I can only hope that whenever the pendulum of public opinion inevitably swings back the other way, this album can be re-recognized as a rich piece of art. It so deeply deserves it.

Great album, deeply personal lyrics with haunting and unique vocal. 4/5.

This guy uses vibrato how I use vibrato when playing the violin to cover wrong notes, aka, all the time. I think this would have been nice without that on every note. Did he just learn this technique the week before this was recorded?

Really beautiful instrumentals. Vocals are a bit hit or miss for me but they definitely hit more than they miss

I've listened to Anohni's solo album Hopelessness, so kind of knew what to expect here. Her voice is very unique and definitely takes some getting used to, and the songwriting is very solid. Quite melancholy and personal themes in the lyrics. Not something I see myself going back to, but glad to have listened to it.

"Performers there are who tremble consistently on each note as if they had the palsy." - Leopold Mozart