Antlers Explode on ‘Burst Apart’

The Antlers’ “Burst Apart” is their fourth official full-length album, and the second since songwriter and creative-force Peter Silberman expanded the lineup to a full band.

Silberman is no stranger to the somber side of life; The Antlers’ prior effort was a concept album about a terminally-ill patient called ‘Hospice.’

“Burst Apart” sounds like what Ben Gibbard would produce if he was locked up with Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” and then asked to write his new material. It twinkles and lingers, but the songs don’t truly come together until you read the lyrics, as Silberman’s wispy falsetto makes it hard to understand him at times.

“I Don’t Want Love” is the first track and the best on the record; the title speaks for itself. Momentum picks up a little bit with songs like “French Exit” and “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out,” but Silberman’s incredible voice and often even better lyrics remain the focal point — as they should. The album closes with back-to-back tear-jerkers.

“Corsicana” is a song about two people dying in a house fire together, and “Putting the Dog to Sleep” is a metaphorical take on dying alone.

Ultimately, Silberman and The Antlers create a moving, atmospheric blend of songs that tugs at the heart strings.

By Jake Amrhein