[Review] The Antlers Sophomore Album Never Had A Chance To “Burst Apart”

When Brooklyn-based indie band The Antlers released their 2009 album Hospice it was as though they stumbled upon greatness, accidentally.

Over the span of a year, The Antlers went from a relatively unknown band to having the track “Kettering” used in a HBO promo.

To say that they had a lot to live up to with their follow up album Burst Apart is an understatement, but the trio came together and got the job done in a big way.

For months, Peter Silberman, Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci were in the studio laboring over the concept for Burst Apart.

Obviously looking for a cohesive tale to orchestrate the album as not only a finely tuned piece of dream pop, but a narrative tale that reflects the sound of the music, which is as hard to do as it sounds.

“Parenthesis” the first single off the album proves that The Antlers are not going to fall into the category of so many artists who release a breakout album with a subsequent follow up album that aims to be exactly like their last album, but somehow better.

However the resulting album is as lackluster as the previous album was thought provoking.  Sometimes, you just have to try something new, abandon what you’ve done in the past and thereby creating an album that distinctly represents not only the band, but an entirely new direction, which is exactly what The Antlers chose to do.

If Hospice was their take on death then Burst Apart is clearly their view point on life, living and rebirth.

Despite the obvious evolution as a band, their signature, ambient sound isn’t lost.  In fact, if anything it’s refined, proving that a magical sound can express a bevy of emotions, and is not limited to sorrow, loss and heartbreak.

But while we’re talking about those feelings, there is no loss of them in Burst Apart, in fact, they play a pivotal role in the album, but this time around we’re reminded that out of loss there’s hope.

The same hope that The Antlers clearly held onto when recording this album clearly establishing themselves with their contemporaries Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros, which is no easy feat.

Burst Apart Tracklisting:

1. I Don’t Want Love
2. French Exit
3. Parentheses
4. No Widows
5. Rolled Together
6. Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out
7. Tiptoe
8. Hounds
9. Corsicana
10. Putting the Dog to Sleep

You can purchase The Antlers’ album Burst Apart on