i fell in love with antony and the johnsons

diamanda galas mentioned that she likes them. michael gira has name-checked them. david tibet (or, is it david michael?) tours with them. however, i have been late to the phenomena known as antony-and-the-johnsons-mania. in recent months, i hesitated in purchasing the re-issue of their first album. i've been intrigued about their cover of julee cruise and the "i fell in love with a dead boy" single. unfortunately, i did not take the bait, until wednesday. sonic boom records' advertising in the stranger prompted me to tredge up Capitol Hill to get the CD, since it was on sale. well, low and behold, i am hooked (this time, i will not attempt a cheezy cliche). antony's voice is beyond angelic. he has a beautiful voice - a cross between a slightly more throaty version of nick drake and alison moyet. boy george, lou reed, and rufus wainwright have guest appearances. i will definitely be listening to this on repeat for a long time to come.