Antony’s new love and light

It seems as though Antony Hegarty of the New York band Antony and the Johnsons is finally charting his course home.

Hegarty is known for penning lyrics about the depths of misery and human suffering, and his voice is of such surreal power that it’s almost cartoonish.

On the band’s fourth album, “Swanlights,” the sad singer demonstrates a sense of hope that he alluded to on the closing track to 2008’s brittle “The Crying Light”.

“I need another world/This one’s nearly gone,” Hegarty ruminated.

These songs focus on the power of love rather than the destructiveness of self-hatred.

The single, “Thank You For Your Love,” is the strongest advocate for this message. For the first time in a while, if ever, Antony sounds as if he’s smiling when he’s singing, among a cacophony of horns and free-jazz vocals.

The stunning “Fletta,” a standout collaboration (the most eccentric this year) featuring Bjork, has a spacious and emotionally consistent approach, giving Bjork’s big, warm voice room to shine.

We should all purchase “Swanlights” and thank Hegarty for learning to love himself and the world around him.