It is always good to see the little band without label support make good. NYC's The Antlers had been plugging away in relative obscurity before their 2009 LP Hospice. The moving opus concerning a dying cancer patient and their caregiver is rife with drama and pathos as the buried vocals scratch and claw from under the sudden blasts of beautiful noise. On their follow-up out now on Frenchkiss Records, Burst Apart sheds the melancholy that made Hospice such a success, in favor of a composition that is lithe and sensual rather than oppressive. Ably venturing forth with "I Don't Want Love", The Antlers lead with their more accessible track. Featuring Peter Silberman's acrobatic falsetto and a solemn organ, this ode to combative lovers benefits from the band's new clarity and confidence. They continue their assuredness on "Parentheses" referencing the paranoid klaxon wails of OK Computer-era Radiohead while Silberman's suggestive lyrics seduce. On "Rolled Together" The Antlers prove that they can keep it simple with a lush, trance-inducing groove and an afflicted chant that floats into space. They even pull off an up tempo number in "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out" that still stays sultry while building into a rocking coda. The only criticism of Burst Apart is that it runs out of steam on the last songs, often abandoning the seductive groove they fostered and meandering off track instead of commanding attention. Still, The Antlers primary goal was to shed the weight of Hospice and prove they have more to offer than one dramatic concept album. In fact, Burst Apart not only exceeds these goals but resets any preconceived views of what The Antlers are.
Purchase Burst Apart: CD | Vinyl | mp3
Bonus: Check out the video from an in-studio performance of "I Don't Want Love" The Antlers did for Bowlegs Music.
I Don't Want Love
Parentheses (Download)
Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out (Download)
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