By Justin Tam
Staff Writer
Brooklyn, New York-based indie rockers, the Antlers, promised an album with less dramatics. Two years removed from their conceptual, emotionally devastating label-debut, “Hospice,” the band’s sophomore release, “Burst Apart,” is here.
It proves just as emotionally complex as its predecessor while artfully maintaining a balance between tense, melancholic ambiance and lush soundscapes.
The band features Peter Silberman (vocals and guitar), Michael Lerner (drums) and Darby Cicci (keyboard, trumpet and banjo). Combining subdued drums with gentle, almost ambient melodies, the Antlers prove themselves masters of mood and atmosphere.
Their first album on Frenchkiss Records, “Hospice,” was a rarely ambitious and successful modern concept album. Both heartbreaking and epic in its narrative of a soured relationship between a dying patient and a hospice worker, the Antlers began with a forceful revelation.
“Hospice” was both anthemic and ambient and so emotionally stirring that it seemed to convey and make tangible its extended theme of hope in the face of hopelessness.
With musical composition similar to that of their first label-album, “Burst Apart” is an exercise of sonic and atmospheric mastery. However, in this record the Antlers flesh out their sound with greater emphasis on instrumentation.
Silberman’s haunting croon and falsetto inhabit and lend another texture to the more distinct melodies on the album which themselves are abridged by vast, almost ethereal washes of sound. Combined, the album is far less focused on the melodrama and lyrics of “Hospice.” The Antlers really seek to distance themselves from their label debut in “Burst Apart.”
The opening track, “I Don’t Want Love,” is a brash and soaring piece, characterized by Silberman’s swooping vocals and upbeat guitar, despite the obvious solemnity of the lyrical content.
Though less significant in the context of the album’s themes and motifs, the song “Hounds” demonstrates the band’s ability to generate emotion and aural splendor without sounding bombastic through the use of trumpets and desolate-sounding vocal half-whispers.
Matching the increased instrumentation, Silberman’s lyrics are no slouch; sometimes it seems that he is loudest when he’s barely singing. On “Rolled Together,” the vocals take a backseat to the jazzy guitar and drums as Silberman repeats two haunting lines: “Rolled together with a burning paper heart…we’re about to burst apart.” The quiet desperation and romantic imagery is simply moving.
The album distinguishes itself fantastically from its predecessor, displaying itself as a testament to the Antlers’ ability to bring a degree of power to their music and, rather than crush listeners with despair and malaise, comfort them with the soothing sounds of their music.
However, the Antlers have not become just another pleasant indie band; in fact, it is quite the contrary. The album’s closer, “Put the Dog to Sleep,” exemplifies their ability to make uniquely tortured but beautiful music. The track, at once spectacular in its wrenching lyrics and its triumphant sound as Silberman, marks the end of both a difficult relationship and the culmination of the album.
“Burst Apart” is a fantastic foray into what an album can achieve and be standing alone: a rousing, passionate collection of songs that inspire both reflection and contemplation in equal parts. The Antlers’ new album proves that they can make extraordinary music without an overarching concept behind it.
“Burst Apart” is a powerful album about love, love-lost and the possibility of moving on. It is available on iTunes, vinyl and CD both online and wherever music is sold.
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