It’s very hard for me to believe that Hospice, The Antlers epically sad third record, is celebrating its ten year anniversary this year. It only seems like a few years ago when the trio hit the music scene with this album, yet here I was on a damp Monday night revisiting this seminal album from the Brooklyn trio. Time flies/I’m getting old.
Perhaps I’m not the only one getting old – The Antlers, perhaps realizing that their crowd were probably not 20 something indie kids anymore, opted for the super rare seated configuration at the Opera House, giving all of us with sore lower backs a reprieve from having to stand.
More likely, the reason behind the seated venue was due to the nature of the show itself. For the ten year anniversary of Hospice, The Antlers were actually playing a stripped down version of the album. Rather than plying us with a wall of sound and reverb as one would have expected, the trio sat down at the start of the show and played Hospice end to end with just a few instruments.
It was great. With the minimalist approach, the songs relied mostly on the few chords that each song has and Peter Silbermann’s voice. It’s been awhile since I revisited this album but what really caught me this time was how much the Antlers can do with just a few chords. It’s amazing how much a few well played notes can create the mood that the band was going for. This was also a fuckin’ sad album.
Ultimately, the Antlers X-factor is Pete Silberman’s voice. The man’s ability to transition from lows to highs is at the core of the Antlers’ songs and that voice has held up well in the past decade.
For me, my favorite moments were “Sylvia”, “Bear” and “Two”. “Two” is still a devastating song a decade later and not having heard it in a while, I especially respected the amazing word play that goes with that song.
A wonderful night, all in all.
