Antony and the Jonsons: "Paddy's Gone"

Last week I sent my parents off to see Antony & the Johnsons play at the Women’s Club Theatre in Minneapolis. It’s a nice enough venue and, as much as they were put off by CocoRosie as openers, they seemed to enjoy Antony. My mother’s main commentary was, “I had the impression from reading the NY Times article that he harmonizes with himself on the CDs and you can't do that in person.” That about sums up “Paddy’s Gone.”

Live this song would be dull; on record it’s nothing short of breathtaking. It seems to exist in a space of its own—the recording stumbles upon the song and catches Antony repeating the six simple lines for a couple of minutes and then departs. It’s the multi-tracking that leaves you sitting there wondering what just happened. The glories of modern production magic give us a chorus of at least five or six Antonys, quietly lamenting the departure of said Paddy and, despite any sort of context, leave us lamenting it right along with him. I talked about Thom Yorke working this same angle on “I Want None of This” a few weeks back; this song blows it out of the water. Antony has managed this sort of simple majesty before, most notably with “For Today I am a Boy,” and while “Paddy’s Gone” might not improve on the formula, it still captures the same beautiful simplicity and emotion that made I Am A Bird Now a remarkable album.