Antlers Get Loud at CMJ Show

Posted on Oct 21st 2009 10:00AM by Mike Ayers
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The mighty Antlers sure have grown since we last saw them at our Interface taping. Kicking off CMJ at the BrooklynVegan showcase at, appropriately enough, Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday, the three-piece dazzled with a loud mixture of electronic-fused guitars amidst Peter Silberman's impassioned vocals. The frontman brought the story detailed on the band's second album, 'Hospice,' to life over the course of an hour, even if that wasn't the full intention.

On record, there's a defined quietness about the whole thing, as Silberman whispers along to convey something of a disturbed and isolated individual. One would expect that would be the case with their live show, but from the opening lines of 'Kettering,' his vocals shifted dramatically between a frightened and neurotic sounding guy to that of a savior, one determined to win back and rescue the crowd from a potential onslaught of questionable CMJ bands.

'Hospice' is surely an album that requires a degree of patience since, at times, it's slow and methodical, like the exact hospital scenarios it describes. But the Antlers are transforming this notion in a live setting, playing with faster tempos on 'Sylvia' and dissolving the end of 'Bear' into a "wall of sound" outro. 'Two' extended into a similar situation, where Silberman and drummer Michael Lerner stared each other down as the song came to a crashing close. The crowd thought the show was over -- they'd alluded to 'Two' being there last song just moments before -- but the swirling, loopy electronics hovered over the room as Silberman reprised 'Kettering.'

It was this full circle moment that not only tied everything together in a neat little package, but it solidified the notion that the Antlers are interested in a bit more high-brow approach to their live show. They're not afraid to experiment with textures and layers that ultimately end up breathing new life into this material, which, after all, has been kicking around for over a year now.