Send "The Antlers " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 In an interview with Pitchfork this past January, Antlers frontman Peter Silberman related something Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchinson had told him about performing deeply personal material: “It’s the audience’s now. You’ll sing it to them, but they’re the ones singing it. You can let it go and give it to them.” It’s hard to imagine Silberman standing up night after night and going through Hospice’s litany of heartache, an album that was painful even for an uninterested listener, not to mention the guy who suffered through its creation. Hospice was the Antlers’ landmark record, but it was also like reading the darkest entry in Silberman’s diary, feeling more like his own bottled up, smothering anguish and less like the work of a band. In short, it was the kind of one-off masterpiece that can’t be repeated, and who would want to? Burst Apart, then, is the sound of Silberman letting go: “You can put it on and not feel like it [had] to be a severe emotional experience.” It also feels, in many ways, like the record the Antlers the band were always destined to make, one that feels much more the product of a groupthink that one man’s tortured relationship. Hospice was the expunging of a sea of ugly feelings and thoughts that Silberman had to get off his chest, a lyrical bloodletting so painfully autobiographical even those with no knowledge of the album’s back story could instinctively feel. Burst Apart is the sound of a man at ease with that past, willing to let his bandmates grow with him and expand on their sound. The production is fuller, lush psychedelics competing with biting guitar riffs and cavernous drums, Silberman’s falsetto rising more often with joy than in sorrow. The record is looser, more at ease with itself; no longer are Silberman’s lyrics the main catharsis behind everything. The instruments do much of the heavy lifting here, painting a picture on opener “I Don’t Want Love” even more triumphant than the defiant lyrics (lyrics that gladly spit in the face of Hospice’s woe-is-me theme), all sparkling guitars and major key harmony. But while Silberman’s emergence as a songwriter who can occasionally be happy is notable, it’s the Antlers’ growth as a band that makes Burst Apart such a successful follow up. The lilting, minimal ambience of “Hounds;” the jazzy drumming and hazy atmospherics on “Rolled Together;” hell, “Parentheses’” hypnotic groove and jagged guitar riff sounds like the best song Radiohead forgot to put on OK Computer. It makes for a record that lacks the emotional artillery of Hospice but is the far more interesting beast sonically....full text |
| Prettymuchamazing |
| How do you follow an album like Hospice? That album is an emotional wrecking-ball, spinning joy, sorrow, hope, and despair into an incredible – and incredibly draining – fifty minutes of music. So how do you follow it up? If you’re smart, you don’t. You don’t even try. Burst Apart, the Antlers’ latest release, leaves behind the narrative concept album in favor of a more traditional form, revealing a band that has continued to evolve in hopes of shaking the looming potential for a post-catharsis slump. The band has called this album upbeat, but that’s not exactly true; more specifically, Burst Apart is the sadly smiling face of someone trying to look through the specters to find the bright spots. This album is the slow recovery from the trauma of Hospice. Normally, this is the spot in the review where I would say something like: “But this album isn’t Hospice, so there’s no use comparing the two,” or, “But we’re not here to talk about the past.” But sorry, I just can’t do that. The emotional connection the band’s debut forges with interested listeners makes it an indelible reference for any Antlers commentary at present, and while I would like to listen to this record in a vacuum, I just can’t. So there’s that. The dominant difference between Burst Apart and its predecessor is the feeling of purpose and inertia present. Where Hospice loses itself in ethereal swell, the songs on Burst Apart find pulsing beats and forward-moving guitars; it’s not content to wallow, preferring to, finally, begin picking up the pieces. The fuzzy film that covered Hospice has been wiped away to reveal a cleaner, lush sound that fits the rejuvenation. Burst Apart’s penultimate track, “Corsicana,” would easily fit on Hospice, save for its crystalline sound. The band isn’t hiding behind any curtains....full text |
| Consequenceofsound |
| In a recent interview, The Antlers‘ drummer Michael Lerner said that Burst Apart was much more democratic in its creation process than Hospice. If only democracy worked this well all of the time. Hospice was a masterful demonstration of the power of the concept album, heartbreaking in its narrative – no doubt about it. Those 10 songs launched the band’s name to international acclaim and sold out shows, they changed people’s lives. But, at the same time, it felt like, and was, an expanded version of frontman Peter Silberman’s solo work. A singular vision, perfectly executed. In their live performances, we were privy to the full potential of the band, as the versions of “Sylvia” and “Wake” grew and changed, adding a dimension of power and loudness previously unseen. Their newest LP, Burst Apart, is The Antlers doing just that – Darby Cicci, Michael Lerner, and Peter Silberman freeing themselves from the confines of being typecast as a depressing listen and, more importantly, fully coming into their own as a band. Having said that, we’ll leave Hospice on the shelf for the remainder of this review, as it isn’t really appropriate to compare the two. Burst Apart begins with “I Don’t Want Love”, a lush track whose upbeat guitar seems to contradict the seriousness of the lyrics. It’s like the clearing of the clouds right after a brutal storm, though, climaxing with the sun coming out and Silberman’s signature falsetto triumphantly ringing atop whirring noise and percussion. It’s moments like this, with Lerner’s drums pounding, Cicci’s soundscapes, and the falsetto seamlessly coming together that make Burst Apart so powerful, not only through emotional catharsis, but through sonic harmony. That’s not to say that the lyrics suffer, though, at all. The Antlers’ songwriting remains visceral and emotive, notably in slower tracks such as “Corsicana”. The thematics throughout the album vary, yet each one is a relatable vignette of something everybody has felt and dealt with. When Silberman croons on “Coriscana” that “We’ve lost our chance to run/now the door’s too hot to touch/we should hold our breath, with mouths together”, the imagery and romantic desperation are nothing short of moving....full text |
The Antlers lyrics
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_EP_05.01.2012.jpg "The Antlers - (together) EP review")