Burst Apart was my album of the month for June this year. I never really got into The Antlers' last album, the highly praised Hospice, despite trying for a good number of times. That album simply doesn't click with me in any way and I like to think it's almost right up my alley. What we have here is a fair bit different.
The melancholic nature of
Hospice is still very mu
ch present on this release, but I feel like it is complimented by a sense of high emotional warmth. That's why it didn't seem quite as strange to listen to an album like this, at best, three times a day in the warm and bright summertime. That being said, it's not really an album that immediately hits you on the head with its greatness. Many of the tracks rely on getting in to the ambience and atmosphere and not quite as heavily on distinct hooks.
The melodic content of the album is still very infectious. In that respect I'd say the highlights of the album are in the second half. 'Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out' is the only really energetic number here and boasts a delicate melody and a structural similarity to the
Radiohead song 'Jigsaw Falling in to Place' from In Rainbows. The short instrumental interlude 'Tiptoe' is a perfect lead-in to the last three songs which make up a real winning streak to end the album.
'Hounds' has special significance to me that is
