ANOHNI and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now
Critic Score
Based on 21 reviews
2005 Ratings: #4 / 512
User Score
Based on 472 ratings
2005 Rank: #33
Liked by 78 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Drowned in Sound

I Am A Bird Now is a beautiful, emotive, glorious, and sometimes sinister album that will top many a critic's list come the end-of-year polls, and justifiably so.

100
The Irish Times
Not even a galaxy of guests (Devendra Banhart, Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed, Boy George) can take from this. Music of exceptional heart and soul.
100
The Observer

A scintillating album that ushers you into its mournful, gender-blurring world.

100
Mojo
This is tough, honest, uncompromising beauty and the next great voice in music.
100
Tiny Mix Tapes

Whereas Antony and The Johnsons was a stark, chilling affair that was arresting and perhaps a little disconcerting, this album is a shining beacon of hope and healing amidst ceaseless pangs of heartache and loss.

91
SPIN
Scarily intimate and irresistibly beautiful.
90
No Ripcord
This will surely be counted as one of the most remarkable, individual, and adorable albums of the year.
86
Pitchfork

The mingling of friends is a treat but, heart in his hand, Antony can more than ably go it alone-- even though he spends so much of I Am A Bird Now fearing solitude and celebrating those rare perfect connections.

83
Entertainment Weekly
It could have been mawkish, but the sentiments--and Antony's trembling falsetto--are so honest, you love it despite your jaded self.
80
Paste
Antony flourishes like a rare orchid in a New York hothouse, brandishing his voice like so many delicate petals.
80
Rolling Stone

Even in duets with Rufus Wainwright and Boy George, Antony is the dominant voice of solitude and agonized waiting.

80
Slant Magazine

Antony and the Johnsons’s I Am a Bird Now takes us on a morbid journey from confusion to comfort.

80
The Guardian
Majestic while confronting his mortal fears on the gospel-hued Hope There's Someone, childlike and life-affirming on For Today I Am a Boy, he is never less than a class act.
80
Uncut
His voice must be heard to be believed.
80
Prefix
Antony has found a voice that expresses what it feels like to be trapped in that gray area between misery and rage.
80
AllMusic

It's a testament to Anohni's skill as a writer and arranger that these guest appearances are completely devoid of pretense, and while each artist is reverent to the source material, it's still Anohni's show, as the most powerful moments on I Am a Bird Now are hers.

80
Q Magazine
His simple, unadorned songs of longing, belonging and love are so striking that contributions from such distinctive guests... pass almost unnoticed.
74
Coke Machine Glow

For what it lacks in consistency, I Am A Bird Now gains in being, even at its most tedious of moments, an interesting and thematically compelling listen.

70
NME
Guaranteed to leave you speechless, one way or another.
ElisPlaylist
95

For any gay, bi, pan, trans, non-binary etc. person reading this review, I wish you a very happy pride month and I advise you not to let anyone talk down to you based on who you love, or how you choose to express yourself. Those people are just stubborn jackasses who refuse to accept change.

Anyway, this album is fucking beautiful. Anohni has one of the most powerful voices I've ever heard, and it is a very engaging journey that we take with her on this album, as she yearns to be free from her ... read more

Tallglassofwate
97

This album is a profoundly important document of pain, sadness and loneliness. Anohni's vocals are the centerpiece of this album but her voice is bolstered by rich, yet sparse instrumentation. These songs are exceptionally beautiful because at their core, they are so honest and so human.

blinkAndMissit
88

Absolutely hauntingly vulnerable and beautiful.
Favorite Songs: My Lady Story / For Today I Am a Boy / Fistful of Love / Bird Gerhl

cummaster
97

Monumental

QDOERTY
90

Pretty moving record.

i3su
86

Utterly gorgeous. This is a stunning album with beautiful vocals, emotional narrative, and incredible power. The more you listen to it, the more it just 'makes sense'.

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