The Antlers are a dreamy and mellow indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York fronted by Peter Silberman. Originally, the band was only a solo project of Silberman’s, but after releasing an album under his own name he recruited two other members to constitute the group that they are today. The band recorded two EPs, Cold War and New York Hospitals, and eventually took Silberman’s collection of songs and turned into the narrative that is Hospice, which they released independently. Sales soared though, the band joined French Kiss Records, and remastered and re-released the album to make up for selling out of their personal stock. For a band that probably had no intentions of “making it big,” they definitely hit the jackpot, scoring a spot on Lollapalooza’s 2010 lineup as well as numerous “Best of 2010″ album lists.
As an avid lover of The Antlers’ first album, Hospice, I was anxiously awaiting the day I could get my hands on a copy of the new album Burst Apart. They set the initial bar pretty high for themselves and the pressure to produce a quality second album was daunting. How do you follow up something so emotionally taxing? Burst Apart lives up to all of the curiosity and anticipation surrounding it. It’s no epic, heart-wrenching storyline, but it’s an absolutely gorgeous album.
The album begins with “I Don’t Want Love” and listeners can immediately see that this album is going somewhere. While Hospice moved forward through lyrics alone, often getting lost in ethereal sounds and swells, Burst Apart has melody and a pace to it. I like to pretend that “Parentheses” is an intentional nod to Sigur Ros‘ sound and the fact that they have an album titled (); Silberman’s vocals are unreal and haunting at times. He has a falsetto that produces goosebumps as well as a great voice within normal range. (I also like to pretend that “No Windows” sounds like that one song from Flashdance. Both of these ridiculous assumptions, but I like to make up these kinds of stories in my head.) “Rolled Together” is sparse in lyrics, but one of my favorites on the album. The first full minute of the song is a gradual swell of that gorgeous falsetto and though the lyrics are hushed and muddled, you get a sense of optimism. “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out” features sparse pluckings on a banjo and a more upbeat tempo, and I can appreciate the clarity of this song. The fuzzy sound of Hospice is no longer present on this album; sounds are crystal clear and the band is no longer hiding behind a veil. “Tiptoe” is a nice instrumental track, transitioning nicely to the last couple of songs. “Hounds” slides around lazily with warbling high notes and far away trumpets interspersed throughout. It’s a dreamy song that fits the mood of the album. “Putting The Dog To Sleep,” though a bit of a downer for a last song, finishes the album well.
With such an intensely emotional piece of work like Hospice, it’s impossible not to compare the two albums. There is so much growth to be seen with their sophomore release and I’m delighted with the direction they’re headed. Buy this album. At the very least, internalize the lyrics and appreciate their simplicity and the beautiful poetry that they are. Play the album when you’re laying in bed at night. Play it while driving towards a sunset with the windows down. Play it and appreciate it as a whole album.
Track Listing:
1. I Don’t Want Love
2. French Exit
3. Parentheses
4. No Widows
5. Rolled Together
6. Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out
7. Tiptoe
8. Hounds
9. Corsicana
10. Putting the Dog to Sleep
