Burst Apart
With 2009’s *Hospice*, Peter Silberman recruited drummer Michael Lerner and multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci to help flesh-out what was supposed to be another solo album, but an uncanny chemistry resulted. The music birthed on 2011’s *Burst Apart* is the sound of this chemistry solidifying with stunning beauty and confidence. A confessional “I Don’t Want Love” opens flirting with *OK Computer*-era Radiohead as glimmering electro flourishes and lilting guitar lines compliment Silberman’s woeful falsettos before “French Exit” takes an uncomplicated approach to melodic chamber-pop by building on primary parts to create elemental dynamics with a less-is-more ethos. “Parentheses” is an amazing standout that digs a bit deeper into electronic influences (namely, Boards Of Canada and early recordings by Air) with sequenced beats, pulsing bass loops and Silberman’s high inflections singing soulfully over his band’s organic mechanics. “Rolled Together” gets into Sigur Rós-inspired atmospheres with an infectious lyrical mantra. Bonus track “Tongue Tied” is a robotic dirge with Silberman channeling the future ghost of Thom Yorke.
After the crushing intensity of Hospice, the Antlers return with a more refined and sophisticated LP that still forges a powerful emotional connection.
After bumming everyone out—in the best possible way—with 2009’s Hospice, Brooklyn trio The Antlers has returned with another batch of richly atmospheric tunes, this time without all that depressing cancer-ward talk. Still, it’s not like frontman Peter Silberman has suddenly decided to use his haunting falsetto to sing…
It’s not often a band promises to scale down their dramatics on only their second label-released album. But then again, it…
Considering the rave reviews of the Antlers’ 2009 album and all the arena tours that followed, it could be misconstrued that a title like Burst Apart would be about the trials and tribulations of blowing up.
Hospice was a strange record. The first record featuring The Antlers in their current, trio alignment seemed to come onto the scene fully formed. And yet Burst Apart manages to be just as surprising without suffering the major lulls that marred Hospice.
The Antlers' last album was about cancer and abusive relationships, and this one's not much cheerier, says <strong>Michael Cragg</strong>