The Antlers - Burst Apart

2009 saw the release of The Antlers’ astonishing album “Hospice”, an elaborate song cycle dealing with life, death and all the in-between, a record which earned the trio of Peter Silberman, Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci rapturous praise, striking a deep and resonant chord in both critics and audiences alike.

Now comes their follow-up, the rather aptly named “Burst Apart”, released in June on their new label home Transgressive Records – an epic, breathtaking collection of songs which are lush, nuanced, and uncommonly moving, seamlessly integrating accessible and breathtaking melodies with dynamic, imaginative orchestrations. Indeed, with its swelling pulsebeats, intricately crafted arrangements, and dreamy pop hooks, the remarkably sensual “Burst Apart” sees The Antlers’ ambition and artistry ascending to an extraordinary new plane. Imbued with seductive guitars, taut rhythms, and hypnagogic melodies, Burst Apart is simultaneously introspective and animated. “Parenthesis” is constructed upon clattering beats and vertiginous dub tension, highlighted by Silberman’s keening falsetto, while “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out” soars and swings, its joyous pop sensibility belying an undercurrent of Cronenbergian angst. In the end, the album arrives at a devastating and definitive crescendo with the stunning soul throwback, “Putting The Dog To Sleep.”