News / / 24.06.14

The Antlers

Familiars (Anti -/Transgressive)

12/20

It’s been a full three years since the last album proper from The Antlers, and 2011’s Burst Apart was something of a high watermark in a career that’s never dipped far below the pool’s edges, yet never quite flooded the stands either. Over five albums lead singer Peter Silberman has managed to subtly reinterpret the band’s sound, changing just enough with each new release to pique returning interest while pandering to a fanbase that wants nothing more than to wallow in a bath of its own tears. That methodology is clearly at play on this latest effort, although album opener Palace reaches a level of drippiness that would make even Snow Patrol’s taps blush. More so than ever before, Familiars employs a horn section to evoke a sense of rousing melancholy in its compositions, much in the same way artists like Beirut or Patrick Watson have done in the past. There’s an impressive depth to the instrumentation on offer, with flurries of piano, currents of sitar, and interjections of string on hand to remind you just how dense each recording really is. Familiars does a very good job of wrapping you in that same slightly self-indulgent comfort blanket worn so well by the band; a little like falling asleep on a bed of candy floss – sweet, but without real definition. Make no mistake, in the haunting coos of Doppelganger or Intruders there’s plenty to lose yourself in, just don’t expect to find yourself anywhere new on the other side.

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antlersmusic.com/

Words: Alex Gwilliam

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