Is it such a surprise? The Antlers couldn't follow up 2009's Hospice without realizing it wouldn't be surpassed. That's the problem with debut's, you need to be able to move forward and improve something, it could be lyrical content, production or musicianship. Here The Antlers do actually improve in each area, even if the lyrics to Hospice were dramatic and emotive.
'I Don't Want Love', starts the album. It has a generic drum beat, but with a good vocal effort and respectable soundscapes, the song stands out as an instant likable track. It flows rather well and has some nice guitar playing and synthesized Ambient like sounds. Peter's vocals reach a height at such an early stage, this is a great example of how an opening track should be for the Dream Pop genre.
'I Don't Want Love', starts the album. It has a generic drum beat, but with a good vocal effort and respectable soundscapes, the song stands out as an instant likable track. It flows rather well and has some nice guitar playing and synthesized Ambient like sounds. Peter's vocals reach a height at such an early stage, this is a great example of how an opening track should be for the Dream Pop genre.
'French Exit' shows how they've matured since Hospice, with delicate vocals by Peter Silberman and an enjoyful instrumental to go with the already established Dream Pop state the band has portrayed themselves in. The song has a nice melody and a well written chorus with great synthesized sounds as usual by keyboardist Darby Cicci.
'Parentheses' has an overall better sound quality to it, by this time the Dream Pop soundscapes are becoming a bit of a nuisance, i don't think they're necessary here, it's just being over used. The vocal work is an improvement from earlier Antlers wor and the use of Bass makes an unusual appearance here. The eventual kick and following guitar work sound superb.
'Parentheses' has an overall better sound quality to it, by this time the Dream Pop soundscapes are becoming a bit of a nuisance, i don't think they're necessary here, it's just being over used. The vocal work is an improvement from earlier Antlers wor and the use of Bass makes an unusual appearance here. The eventual kick and following guitar work sound superb.
'Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out', this is one of those songs that you either love or hate, the brilliantly created song focuses on guitar work and synthesizer hooks. It's another Antlers track that ends with a bang, this is a recurring theme for The Antlers and especially on Burst Apart.
Some of the tracks are a little different to what we've heard in the past, such as 'Hounds' which without the vocal work could have been created by an unsigned Indie Rock band. At least we have a great album ender to top it all off. 'Putting The Dogs Too Sleep' is enriched in reverbed barre chords and effortless vocals that give it such a laid back feel. The guitar work is the stand out with lyrics enough to make you want more.
In general, Burst Apart doesn't have the same eerie atmosphere or the first person outlook on the concept, that Hospice had. Sure, soundscapes are visible here, but they don't do anything important other than set the mood and genre, they just keep the flow. It's a good, solid album.. It could be better, i think they still have a lot of work to do before establishing themselves in a global market.
~Eddie
7.9
7.9
