The Antlers appreciation thread

[SoundscapeMN]

There is no topic about this group? I swear I or someone else made 1. I'm probably thinking of another forum (or another band's topic around here).

Sigz and orcus I know are fans, as well as some others around here I think.

Well Hospice is one of those highly moving, emotionally powerful albums that came out in 2009. My personal experience, was I saw the name during the year in 2009, but it took until about November for me to finally hear it. And then not too long after, my grandfather passed away, and somehow getting sucked-in to Hospice around that time seemed to fit totally what I was going through.

As far as their older work, they have 2 other records. 1 is I think more of an ep or demo, and the other "In the Attic of the Universe" I like, but have never gotten into as much as Hospice.

Well they posted this today on twitter
https://twitter.com/theantlers/status/28597077361565696

FYI- this was posted the second we officially finished our record.

so, their next album shouldn't be all that far away.

Bear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YESdx5AHyJc

Sylvia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9nYI0ezoOQ

Two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAAD61ZruSE


They're also going out on tour supporting Local Natives (a band I also happen to love) soon, but those shows are only in Japan. However, the 1 time I saw them live, I actually was a bit disappointed. Why? mostly due to how different the arrangements were, and the band, including Peter Silberman didn't have all that much of a stage presence. I actually skipped Transatlantic to see them (and to save a lot of money having to fly to Chicago instead of drive 10 miles into Minneapolis), but in looking back on that, I wish I had gone to see TA in Chicago now.

But I'd be up for seeing them again live, to see if I just saw them on an off night/tour.

If you're a fan of artists like Jeff Buckley, Ours, Porcupine Tree/Blackfield, Neverending White Lights or any really powerful melancholy music, it'd probably be worth your while to check Hospice out.

[ClairvoyantCat]

If you're a fan of artists like Jeff Buckley, Ours, Porcupine Tree/Blackfield, Neverending White Lights

I love all of these artists, so I'll definitely be giving this a listen.

[orcus116]

Hospice is indeed an incredible album. I think it captured human emotion better than any other album I've ever heard. My album of 2009 by miles.

[ClairvoyantCat]

*Streams "Sylvia"*



*INSTANT LOVE*

[TheVoxyn]

Hospice is amazing. Haven't heard any of their other stuff though.

[SoundscapeMN]

yeah, they seem like a group who'd be up your alley dtismajesty

As much as I am anti-pitchfork and everything (not to mention Arcade Fire who the writer name drops of course, lol), I just noticed a good interview with Peter Silberman from p4k that they linked on twitter yesterday.

New album is projected for May. Sounds like it'll be more electronic, psychedelic, and less depressing.

link

Born out of isolation, terminal illness, and heartbreak, the Antlers' 2009 breakout album Hospice was a wrenching-- and often triumphant-- affair. Led by singer and songwriter Peter Silberman, who is now 24 years old, the band's Arcade Fire-style emotional crests caught on, and they were soon traveling around the world, opening for the National at places like Radio City Music Hall and playing their own increasingly populated gigs.

But instead of bulking up their sound even more for the follow-up, the group-- also featuring drummer Michael Lerner and multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci-- is dialing things back with their electro-inspired, as-yet-untitled new record, tentatively due out this May.

I recently met the guys at the converted loft studio in Brooklyn where they've been toiling away on the new record since September. They were quick to poke fun at their rep as a bunch of sad sacks while playing a few new songs and playfully bullshitting about receiving a mysterious box of Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo tequila (which gets the Antlers' seal of approval, btw).

Of the new tunes I heard, a highlight was "Parentheses", which featured a hypnotic drum loop and plenty of Silberman's falsetto coos. The track could be accurately described as "sexy"-- a word I've never associated with the Antlers before. Meanwhile, "French Exit" had a damn near tropical outro, and the moody "Hound" peaked with subtle restraint.

Click on for a Q&A with Silberman, who talked about some of the new album's unlikely inspirations and how he managed to be upbeat while playing songs that are anything but:

Pitchfork: Did playing big shows while touring Hospice make you want to make "big" music with this album?

Peter Silberman: We definitely became a louder rock band on tour but we didn't want to do an arena rock record. Over the past couple years, we got into a lot of electronic music and post-rock that ended up coloring the new record. Stuff like Portishead, Boards of Canada, Dirty Three, Low-- I'm not listening to [Neutral Milk Hotel's] In the Aeroplane Over the Sea as much as I was when I was 19. To me, the new album sounds like an electronic, grooving record. There's less big, dramatic fanfare.

Pitchfork: After your success with Hospice, did you feel a need to hang on to fans by making something similar?

PS: For a while, I thought the next logical step from Hospice was to make some very sad, post-Hospice concept record. But thinking in those terms started to feel really manipulative and gimmicky. So I just let go of that idea and, from that point on, I was much happier.

In a lot of ways, this album is an easier record to listen to than Hospice; you can put it on and not feel like it has to be a severe emotional experience. It might be. But it could also be on in the background.

Pitchfork: Did you feel manipulative at all while playing those Hospice songs to so many people on tour?

PS: When I first started playing them, it really felt like I was just getting the message across. But, while the shows didn't become less important as time went on, my emotional intensity diminished. The record became much more real than the things it was based on. It was like I wasn't allowed to put the relationship Hospice was based on in the past. That's when I had to kind of separate myself from the songs we were playing. I'm not going to torture myself by trying to relive the songs over and over again. That'll destroy you.

Pitchfork: When I interviewed you about Hospice in 2009, you talked about how making it was a very solitary and harrowing experience. But now that you've toured a bunch and people like what you're doing, I'm guessing your life may not be so bad. Is that change reflected on the new album?

PS: That was the trickiest thing for me to figure out as far as writing this record. Hospice revolved around such a specific, crazy life event and, moving forward from that, I realized I wasn't in a position to complain anymore. I was really happy with my life. It was good because it meant that I couldn't just rely on misfortune or unhappiness to write.

This is not a sad record. It's sort of energetic and, in its way, psychedelic. It does have an emotional punch, but it's a little less desperate. There are no life or death situations on this record, no terminal illness, no abusive relationships. I felt like this album didn't necessarily have to be so directly based on my life-- it puts too much pressure on your life to be interesting. [laughs]

Pitchfork: I imagine it's tough to stay connected with the songs while not being miserable all the time, how did you figure out a way to balance that out?

PS: We went on tour with Frightened Rabbit a little while ago and I was asking [frontman] Scott [Hutchison] about this, and he said, "It's [the audience's] now. You'll sing it to them, but they're the one singing it. You can let it go and give it to them." That's how I managed to keep going.

Pitchfork: In our previous interview, you mentioned how Hospice was partly inspired by a rough breakup. Are you still in contact with that ex-girlfriend?

PS: No. One of the weirder moments of my life was running into her at our label's holiday party a couple of years ago. It was after our biggest show in New York and our Times review-- we were feeling really great. And while I caught up with her, people are coming up and congratulating me and being happy for us as a band. Meanwhile, this person who is responsible is standing right there having to see this whole full-circle thing happen. [laughs] I haven't seen her since.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Hospice is smile.

[Sigz]

WE'RE TOOO OLLLLLLLDDDDD

[ariich]

orcus sent me a song from Hospice in my song roulette, and I really loved it. I haven't got round to listening to the whole album yet as I'm still working my way through the bands I was introduced to, but I'm looking forward to it!

[ClairvoyantCat]

WE'RE TOOO OLLLLLLLDDDDD

WE'RE NOT OLLLLLLDDD, OLD AT ALL





But seriously, Hospice grabbed me so quickly that I feel like I've known it for a long time.  I must have listened to it at least 3 times through last night before going to sleep.  What a wonderful album!

[Sigz]

God Epilogue is an incredible closer. I don't really care for the electric piano at the end however.

[ClairvoyantCat]

I like the electric piano part.  My only complaint of that song is the falsetto near the end is a bit agitating to me. 





Also, I listened through In the Attic of the Universe, and it's another wonderful album! 

[ariich]

Ok so I got listening to the full album on Spotify, and just loved it so I ended up buying the CD. Such a lovely album!

[orcus116]

My work here is done.

[SoundscapeMN]

"Burst Apart" drops on May 10th.



01 I Don't Want Love
02 French Exit
03 Parentheses
04 No Widows
05 Rolled Together
06 Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out
07 Tiptoe
08 Hounds
09 Corsicana
10 Putting the Dog to Sleep

[ariich]

[SPNKr]

"Burst Apart" drops on May 10th.

Holy shit! This year's getting better... And BETTER!

[orcus116]

I HATE IT ALREADY CAUSE I NEED SOMETHING TO BITCH AT

omfg I can't wait for this shit

[SoundscapeMN]

https://www.npr.org/2011/03/17/134532285/sxsw-2011-the-antlers-live-in-concert

the whole new album was played live and is stream-able there.

[TheVoxyn]

https://www.npr.org/2011/03/17/134532285/sxsw-2011-the-antlers-live-in-concert

the whole new album was played live and is stream-able there.

Going to listen to it in a min, I am excite.

[SoundscapeMN]

p4k stream of "Parentheses"

[Zantera]

I listened to Hospice yesterday, and to be honest I didn't hear anything special about it.
Obviously it was just the first listen, I'll spin it 3-4 times more this week, and I might come back with a "OMG THIS ALBUM IS AMAZING".

[Marvellous G]

Really? It was one of the fairly few times that I loved an album on first listen.

[Zantera]

I don't know.. nothing really clicked.

[Quadrochosis]

Just listened to Hospice twice. Holy fuck it was the most emotional album ever.

[Zantera]

Spinned it again today, and still kinda meh towards it.
It's not bad, but nothing really stands out, unless the lyrics are 'out of this world' or something, I really don't care much about lyrics so.

[Sigz]

Goddammit Zantera.

[The Degenerate]

Goddammit Zantera.

[Sigz]

That said, I wouldn't say the lyrics are that important to enjoying the album. I barely know them and still love it to death.

So basically you just fail.

[Zantera]

I guess it's because it's an Indie-album.
Don't get me wrong, I love indie music, but it takes at least 10 plays before something good can be identified.

[Quadrochosis]

That said, I wouldn't say the lyrics are that important to enjoying the album. I barely know them and still love it to death.

So basically you just fail.

They aren't critical to the enjoyment of it but they certainly magnify the emotional intensity of it many times over.

[TheVoxyn]

Full album streamable:
https://www.npr.org/2011/04/24/135572911/first-listen-the-antlers-burst-apart

[Portrucci]

listening....

edit: wow cool   I had no expectations but so far it sounds excellent. looking forward to the release!

[antigoon]

Ive got Hospice but I still haven't dedicated a good chunk of time to it.

[Portrucci]

hmm not much talk about this album    I really like it actually....It's pretty low-key, but it the music is still as beautiful as ever.

Rolled Together & Hounds are standouts atm. but it's pretty consistent in quality. Thoughts? Opinions?