“Shake That Devil” is the sweet nougat inside the Another World EP. At first, it sounds like your typical Antony track; that soul-shivering voice comes in over quiet instrumentation, making you wonder if you’re going to have to reach for the kleenex to dab the tears from your eyes. However, the growing feedback and Antony’s quickening of the delivery hints at something coming. That something turns into tight, groovy drums that sound like they’re recorded in a subway tunnel.
Antony is also accompanied by a screechy sax reminiscent of old-school downtown artists John Zorn and James Chance. The vibes completely change and you can instantly picture Antony literally shaking the devils, dogs and pigs out of his life, the song now a true exorcism for both himself and the listener.
Antony and the Johnsons’ next album, The Crying Light will be released January 21st, 2009. The Another World EP is the first single, and it is out now on CD and vinyl on Secretly Canadian. The cover, shown above, features a portrait of Japanese Butoh co-founder Kazuo Ohno, taken by Pierre-Olivier Deschamps in 1984.
-Rob G.
