4. The Antlers – Burst Apart
Peter Silberman has been making music as the Antlers since 2006. It was originally a solo project, but he recruited Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci to record Hospice in 2009.
Hospice was a concept album — an incredibly sad story of a terminally ill patient. While Burst Apart is nowhere near as depressing, it maintains the heaviness of its predecessor.
The album is a musical expansion. Burst Apart blushes and blooms with electronic shimmers that weave around the instruments, and “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out” features the darkest banjo I’ve ever heard. But it still sounds very much like the Antlers — especially with Silberman’s haunting falsetto.
Burst Apart is thick with emotion and dark undertones that can often weigh on the listener — like an anti-catharsis. “Putting the Dog to Sleep” is as sad as anything on Hospice. It’s definitely not perfect for every mood, but it is still a great record.
