Rating: NNNN
The earnest melancholy that made the Antlers’ breakout album, Hospice, so devastating still lingers seven years later. But on the Brooklyn-based trio’s fifth record, there’s hope amidst the malaise.
The first track, Palace, opens with gentle piano and a flicker of trumpet before Michael Lerner’s deliberate drums kick in. And if that doesn’t quicken your pulse, lead singer and guitarist Peter Silberman soon pushes his natural falsetto to new, soaring heights.
Each song on Familiars is a five-to-seven-minute exploration of horn swells, meandering bass lines and lively organ melodies – a swath of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink orchestral ambience. In fact, the ambitious arrangements that separate this band from their moody contemporaries can actually make the album feel too emotionally intense for everyday listening. So unless you want to ponder your existence on your morning commute, save Familiars for truly meditative moments.
Top track: Parade
The Antlers play the Virgin Mobile Mod Club June 27.