#39
The Antlers: “Putting The Dog To Sleep”
[from Burst Apart / Frenchkiss] 

The sheer amount of time I’ve put into my attempts to understand The Antlers has little to do with the unbelievable amount of critical acclaim they received for 2009’s Hospice and everything to do with the fact that a dear friend of mine has shown a love for them that knows no bounds. Not immediately jumping on to their bandwagon has never been about a dislike for their music or a hatred of anything that receives an undue amount of attention, but more so because I couldn’t seem to find a way in to who they are. I could never find that foothold that would eventually open them up to me.

Earlier in the spring as I sat at my desk punching in the various words and numbers that pay the bills, I made my way through an episode of Studio 360. On this particular episode, Kurt Anderson dove into the meaning of and the making of The Antlers’ newest release, Burst Apart, with singer/songwriter Peter Silberman. As Silberman played his way through a few tracks from the new record by himself, I discovered that missing something that I had been longing for inside the bare bones of each song he plucked out. I jumped to cue up the record and for the next hour, I finally understood what was behind the immense sound of The Antlers. I had found my way in.

As the closing track on Burst Apart, “Putting The Dog To Sleep” is by no means a hopeful note to end on. Touching on themes of mistrust, fear of death and misplaced love, Silberman’s vocals reach levels of soulfulness that are unrivaled by the majority of his contemporaries.

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