Cut The World

Baroque pop
Recorded live in Copenhagen. Antony Hegarty pairs his exquisite operatic voice with a massive orchestra. This is lush, dramatic, sensitive, generally slow. A sense of deep yearning characterizes everything here. A cup of hot tea for the soul. NO FCCs. Favorites: 4, 5, 10, 12.

1. (4:19)—Soft, piano-led verses. Strings take over during the choruses.
2. (7:36)—Spoken word. Provocative, thoughtful monologue. Antony talks about femininity and feminine systems of governance.
3. (5:33)—Extended intro. The arrangement is especially dramatic, but the music remains soft until the end. Multiple parts.
4. *(4:21)—Tense beginning. Piano takes the musical forefront during the verses. The choruses are absolute tearjerkers.
5. *(7:18)—Dark, tempo-less beginning. Everything cuts out as piano and vocals enter. Builds to a hypnotic climax. Almost drone-y outro.
6. (2:57)—Waltz-time. Wintry sound. Piano and plucked strings during the verses.
7. (5:26)—Very, very slow. Soft dissonance between strings and piano.
8. (4:08)—Mid-tempo marching beat. Much more punctuated than the other songs. Antony belts.
9. (4:52)—First half: Antony’s orchestral take on R&B, with ominous strings. Second half: slow, mournful. NOTE: 15-second silence, starting at -3:30.
10. *(4:47)—Orchestral arrangements are melancholy and evocative of springtime. Builds, builds, builds. Could be the finale of an opera.
11. (3:21)—Strings swell in the intro and drop out. Antony sings in his higher register. Arrangement starts minimally and gains fullness over time.
12. *(6:09)—Absolutely sublime, soft, melancholy vocal jazz. Climax in the middle. Extended coda. Applause starts at -0:45.