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Music > Reviews > The Antlers  Photo: Ben Ritter The AntlersHospice(French Kiss) US release date: 18 August 2009 UK release date: 18 August 2009 By Matt GonzalesOver the past six months, bloggers have been falling over their online personas praising the depth of feeling and haunting singularity of vision that characterizes Hospice, the first major offering from Brooklyn’s the Antlers. If you haven’t heard about it yet, you must have a real job or a life. Good for you. The story of the album’s genesis—how it’s the product of months of self-imposed isolation on the part of young songwriter Peter Silberman, brought on by a soul-shaking personal event that he has only referred to obliquely in interviews—has been told many times, in as much detail as Silberman will allow. It’s not surprising that journalists and readers are so interested in hearing it; Hospice is the kind of staggering work that doesn’t just win fans, but changes lives. Silberman’s sorrow-soaked narrative pulsates with genuine, complex human pain. He cites In the Aeroplane Over the Sea as a major influence, and he’s one of the few Neutral Milk Hotel acolytes to produce something that deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence with that seminal work. Silberman has also said Hospice is about “the extent to which guilt can lead us to betray ourselves.” The thematic hook is the strained relationship between an abusive dying person and his (or her?) steadfast lover/caretaker, who together are locked in a heart-twisting back-and-forth that lasts until the final curtain falls. Silberman’s lyrics abstract the story in typical young-poet fashion, but he has a knack for turning a wicked phrase from time to time (“All the while I’ll know we’re fucked and not getting unfucked soon” from “Bear” is a particularly memorable moment). Silberman originally wrote these songs in his bedroom, later recruiting guest musicians Darby Cicci (guitars and synths) and Michael Lerner (drums) to help him flesh out the sound. Cicci and Lerner eventually became full-on members of the Antlers, and it’s easy to see why. Cicci’s atmospherics range from hauntingly beautiful to kind of nauseating, and are essential to the Antlers’ queasily cinematic sound. Lerner’s room-shaking drums anchor a band that otherwise might float off into the ether. It’s ballsy, to say the least, to make a concept album in the digital download age. Hospice throws a couple of bones to the cherry-picking downloader—the aforementioned “Bear” has a rollicking chorus that could almost be mistaken for upbeat; after a languorous opening, “Sylvia” explodes into a Walkmen-esque indie anthem. But these songs are stripped of some of their power when they stand alone, which is an indication of the album’s success. Hospice is a fully-realized and fully-functional concept album, and, get this: it was produced by and for members of a generation who, according to know-it-all marketing types, would rather throw their PlayStation3’s into a river than listen to (egads!) a WHOLE album. Hospice is evidence that the art form (unlike the unlucky character on this articulation of it) isn’t on its deathbed. — 20 August 2009
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Comments
So is this what music reviews have become? A reference to blogosphere activity, a backstory of how the group came about and a reference to an over-referenced and under-producing act from 10 years ago? How about describing the actual music? The only description of the musical style is a reference to Walkman-esque indie anthem, which is only brought up as an example of an exception to their sound. So what does this album actually sound like. I guess people assume they can be lazy about actual descriptions in these days where music files can be embedded on the page, however that doesn’t do much for people like me who are reading from a computer that doesn’t have speakers.
Comment by Chris — August 20, 2009 @ 7:53 am
Chris, I can’t help but echo your sentiment. It’s too bad, because there’s so much to love about the sound of this record, and a reviewer would normally have a field day transforming it into language.
Comment by Mike Newmark from Berkeley / Tarzana, CA — August 20, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
Gentlemen,
I appreciate the feedback, and you can be sure it will be on my mind when I write my next review. I must say, however, that I personally dislike reviews wherein the critic does a verbal interpretive dance, if you will, of the album’s sonic qualities. There are already way more than enough clunky metaphors and poorly-chosen adjectives littering the world music criticism, and I find adding fuel to that fire to be in poor taste. Having said that, I suppose it would have behooved me to spend more time giving the listener an idea of the literal sound of the record. But in my opinion, providing details on the band’s background, the story behind the album’s origin, and some context/reference points in terms of the band’s contemporary peers is just as important as telling readers stuff like “the guitars shimmer like a moonlit lake” or “the keyboards sound as lush and colorful as the plumage of a kaleidoscopic peacock”. And I certainly am not equipped to talk in technical details about guitar tones, time signatures etc. Unlike many amateur critics, I generally refuse to pretend to know what I’m talking about when it comes to that stuff.
Again, even though it stings, the feedback IS appreciated. And Chris, believe me, the album’s worth getting if you haven’t already. Pick it up.
-Matt Gonzales
Comment by Matt Gonzales — August 20, 2009 @ 4:48 pm
This might be a bit late, but I’d like to defend Matt here. As a huge fan of this record, I have to say that it’s genesis is probably more important to understanding its power than trying to describe what it sounds like. It sounds beautiful and heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful, but covered in fuzz from time to time…oh and in “Epilogue” Peter Silberman sound a little like Jeff Buckley. Anyway, I happen to think this is one of the best reviews written about one of the best records of the year.
Comment by Pat from New York — September 5, 2009 @ 1:03 pm
Thanks, Pat!
Comment by Matt Gonzales — September 12, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
I think this is an exemplary review. I’ve read two so far (Pitchfork and this) and I think this one is the most appropriate.
The description of the music is much more than a reference to the Walkmen. The bits about the other musicians’ contributions to Silberman’s songs are crucial observations. The vague, terse words concerning the lyrics, and relating the total package to the notion of a concept album (which is inherently contemptible) all paint pictures of an act greater than the sum of its parts. And within a band dynamic, that’s gospel.
I’m listening to the album for the first time as I write this. I hear tons of reference points, yet the music remains transcendent of them. I think that’s essentially what this review puts forth, and that’s why I appreciate it.
Comment by Justin from Charlotte, NC — September 18, 2009 @ 1:38 am
I have to agree with Matt. As someone who reviewed the disc for the Tripwire, I can agree the backstory is the most effable part of the album. Though the music—dramatic, intense, keen in a manner similar to Arcade Fire’s Funeral or Antony’s desperate falsetto—is obviously the deciding feature for the listener, no critic can properly describe it. Once you have the context for the album (which Matt provided), it’s up to the listener to approach this album with whichever ear they so choose. And hopefully, you’ll see the beauty of the album.
http://www.thetripwire.com/features/2009/05/05/concept-catharsis-antlers-peter-silberman-on-hospice/
Comment by Mike from Toronto — October 6, 2009 @ 6:13 am