The Antler, Dark Room Notes and more
The Antlers: happy to be heard
It’s the quiet ones you have to keep an eye on. Since Peter Silberman released In The Attic of the Universe back in 2007, many have fallen for The Antlers. Silberman initially gave that album away for free and, within a few months, 10,000 people had downloaded it and spread the word about the man, those songs and that beautiful, melancholic and atmospheric hushed pop.
All of this means there’s an audience waiting for Silberman’s latest album, Hospice, which is released this month. If his first album was the sound of big-city ennui by candlelight (the songs were written by Silberman after first moving to New York), Hospice is about what happens when you hide away from those streets and bright lights. Songs written and sculpted by Silberman in his bedroom became fully formed when flourishes and fringes were added by other musicians, including two, Darby Cicci and Michael Lerner, who are now full-time Antlers.
Hospice has multiple layers to explore. There’s Silverman’s cracked voice mapping out the contours of these songs of magic and loss. There’s the understated musical backing softly italicising the heart-breaking emotions at the heart of the work. Hospice is the sound of someone working out the big and small questions in the wee small hours.
It took Silberman a year and a half to put it together. “I moved to Brooklyn from Manhattan and started writing songs as a way to bring myself out of that place mentally and to re-establish relationships with people that I had messed up. I think when you’re young and working out who you are, relationships can do a lot of good and also a lot of damage.”
Ironically, Silberman’s efforts to use the album to reconnect with the world beyond his room meant he was seeing less and less of that world. “I was working at it pretty much every day for a year and a half, but I was also making an effort to stop being holed up. Towards the end then, it became less my own thing and more about bringing other people into it.”
Silberman admits that he had tired of being a one-man band and relished the chance to bring in some new ears. “To be honest, I never thought of going off on my own until I was on my own. I got very used to it, so it’s been an adjustment getting other people involved again. But I was sick of working alone and I’m really happy with the incredible musicians I found. It sure feels right.”
Dark Room Notes: it matters
As is the way with so many Irish bands in recent years, We Love You Dark Matteris a debut album that has been a long time in the works.
Dark Room Notes first popped up on radars back in 2006 when they began gigging around Galway. A single (Love Like Nicotine) and an EP ( Dead Start Program) appeared in 2007 and the band's appearance at that year's Hard Working Class Heroes fest in Dublin saw the tipping begin.
Along the way, members came and went before the current foursome, featuring two archaeologists, a photography teacher and a costume designer, bedded down for the long run.
DRN’s judicious mix of moody synths and 1980s indie guitars makes for some seductive electro-pop – it’s a brew which has ensured some swaggering shows along the way. While the debut album will inevitably attract comparisons to current vogue acts such as White Lies, it’s worth remembering that DRN were brewing this sound back when White Lies were probably trying – and failing – to be goths.
The album, recorded in London with Dublin producer Ciarán Bradshaw, is an impressive beast bubbling with dramatic hooks, alluring textures and a bundle of smart electro-rock tunes. Let’s hope album number two comes a whole lot faster.
** We Love You Dark Matteris released on Gonzo Records on April 10th. The band play Dublin's Academy 2 on April 9th with nationwide dates to follow
Three more to try
LEMONADE
www.myspace.com/ bananasandecstasy
Sunnysideup disco-punk from San Francisco. Check out their self-titled mini-album on True Panther, especially Big Weekend.
CFCF
www.myspace.com/cfcf
Sweet-as electronic grooves from Montreal producer Mike Silver best known for remixing Crystal Castles, Health, The Teenagers and others.
THE INVISIBLE
[ www.myspace.com/theinvisiblethreeOpens in new window ]
Delicious art-pop from a trio who have form playing with Hot Chip, Matthew Herbert, Polar Bear and Róisín Murphy.
