the antlers

Song Of The Day The Antlers – Solstice

Posted on by Paul in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

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Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

The Antlers have long been a Panic Manual favourite so the recent announcement that they’ll be releasing their new album (and first in seven years) Green To Gold in March of this year is certainly a welcome one.

And if latest single “Solstice” is any indication, the new album finds the band in generally good spirits. As singer Peter Silberman explains, “this is the first album I’ve made that has no eeriness in it”, adding that this time around, he set out to make “Sunday morning music.”

Green To Gold is out March 26 via ANTI- Records. Check out the video for “Solstice” below.

Concert Review: The Antlers, April 8, Opera House

Posted on by Ricky in Concerts | Leave a comment

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It’s very hard for me to believe that Hospice, The Antlers epically sad third record, is celebrating its ten year anniversary this year. It only seems like a few years ago when the trio hit the music scene with this album, yet here I was on a damp Monday night revisiting this seminal album from the Brooklyn trio. Time flies/I’m getting old.

Perhaps I’m not the only one getting old – The Antlers, perhaps realizing that their crowd were probably not 20 something indie kids anymore, opted for the super rare seated configuration at the Opera House, giving all of us with sore lower backs a reprieve from having to stand.

More likely, the reason behind the seated venue was due to the nature of the show itself. For the ten year anniversary of Hospice, The Antlers were actually playing a stripped down version of the album. Rather than plying us with a wall of sound and reverb as one would have expected, the trio sat down at the start of the show and played Hospice end to end with just a few instruments.

It was great. With the minimalist approach, the songs relied mostly on the few chords that each song has and Peter Silbermann’s voice. It’s been awhile since I revisited this album but what really caught me this time was how much the Antlers can do with just a few chords. It’s amazing how much a few well played notes can create the mood that the band was going for. This was also a fuckin’ sad album.

Ultimately, the Antlers X-factor is Pete Silberman’s voice. The man’s ability to transition from lows to highs is at the core of the Antlers’ songs and that voice has held up well in the past decade.

For me, my favorite moments were “Sylvia”, “Bear” and “Two”. “Two” is still a devastating song a decade later and not having heard it in a while, I especially respected the amazing word play that goes with that song.

A wonderful night, all in all.

Concert Review: The Antlers, Mod Club, June 27

Posted on by Ricky in Concerts | Leave a comment

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In the past half decade, the Antlers have carved a nice little space for themselves in the indie rock world. From the emotionally devastating album Hospice to the horn enthused chilled tones of recently released album Familiars, the group has rewarded those who are patient enough to listen through their intricate and methodically built up arrangements with some truly unique music.

New album in hand, the trio (plus an additional musician) took their live show to a sold out Mod Club on Friday night. Consisting of mostly material from their latest album Familiars, the Antler’s set on Friday introduced us to the dream like rock nature of their new record. As with all Antlers songs, all the new material were laid out in slow, ever building arrangements. If theres ever a band that really goes by their own pace, it’s The Antlers. The new material, which lacks the emotional weight of their previous albums, still sounded good, and the inclusion of the trumpet to their music added a new wrinkle to their previous sound and is a good indication that the group is exploring new sounds with each album. Always a good sign.

As always, the crowd (myself included) was just a little more excited for the back catalog portion of the concert and the opening notes of the track Sylvia was met with particular delight. Pete Silbermann has one of the best voices in indie rock today, and it is amazing to see how he can switch from sounding like an angel to a man who sounds like he is at his most desperate in a matter of moments. Something about the Antler tracks just resonates with people that most other bands cannot achieve. I don’t know how to explain it. If you can describe the Antlers music, you can say they are a band that plays their tracks with no wasted notes. The way that the band plays their songs make it seem every chord, drum beat, word and note seems all part of a carefully constructed madness. A truly excellent live performance, even if they didn’t play Two.

Song Of The Day: The Antlers – Drift Dive

Posted on by lauren in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

There’s nothing better than two things I love bleeding together. Enter The Antlers’ Drift Dive. The newly released single off the upcoming EP Undersea, set for release July 24th, and currently available for pre-order. Drift Dive is a melodic and dreamy track with soft vocals. The Antlers are masters of themed music, as you could probably tell by the acclaimed album Hospice, which still brings tears to my eyes and tears to many around me when seen live.  I’m actually an avid scuba diver, and listening to this track makes me think of being in the water on a dive, floating along with the fish. So kudos Antlers. Not sure if you’re divers as well, but you’ve captured the experience beautifully in song.