Antony and the Johnsons

Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons has an uncanny ability to make misery sound positively fabulous. On his sixth EP, Another World, he continues flaunting this talent, relying primarily on his distinct voice and a lone piano to express his beautifully mournful sentiments.

Hegarty's words carry an emotional, tearful quality that holds back just enough to make you want to complete the sadness for him. The title track is the perfect example, with the singer's intense cries of missing trees, birds, and wind. On "Shake That Devil," static feedback accompanies his lamentations about a pig; as he moves on to mourning a dog, the song takes a strangely jazzy, lounge-y bent. Reliable dejection returns on "Sing for Me," as an expressive string section reinforces vivid lyrics about pulling girls out of a well. Triumphant horns flush out final track "Hope Mountain," ending the EP on a positive note — even if Hegarty still sounds to have no hope himself.