Wednesday night one of my favorite groups in the last few years, The Antlers, came to Water Street Music Hall in Rochester and played a fantastic show. The Brooklyn trio, playing as a quartet, released one hell of an album in Burst Apart in early 2011 and an EP earlier this year entitled Undersea, both met with high acclaim. It was nice to see them back in Upstate NY since they last played The Ninth Ward here in Buffalo back in 2009.
Opening were Port St. Willow, also from Brooklyn and friends of Antlers frontman Pete Silberman. They play in a similar strand as The Antlers with lush, expansive hooks and melodies, except with slightly deeper focus on intrumentation and sonic qualities as opposed to a focus on lyrics and storytelling like we saw in The Antler’s debut Hospice. All the same, this was the perfect group to open for The Antlers. With washes of clacking percussion and vocal feedback, their mystical sound coated the little music hall and it was really stunning.
Soon after, The Antlers came out and we waded in “Drift Dive” which is the opening track off their gorgeous new EP. With flashes of guitar and horns amid languid samples, “Drift Dive” is a gorgeous track that eases you into it’s aquatic bliss. Silberman’s vocals are just as captivating live as they are in the studio, if not more emotionally cutting. They transitioned into “Rolled Together” a robust track off Burst Apart, which also does it’s work by painstakingly increasing it’s instrumentation and volume until snare and ride split the track wide open and Silberman and his lead guitarist fully rocked-out.
They did their fans well in splitting up their new material with a lot of the old as well. They played the entire Undersea EP in stunning fashion and also chose many songs from Hospice including “Kettering,” “Silvia,” and “Shiva.” Not to mention playing an awesome rendition of The Mountain Goats’ “No Children” which was a welcomed surprise.
As they left the stage, obviously everyone in the venue went insane and they came out to play the best encore I’ve seen all year. First they gave us “Zelda,” a favorite from the latest EP. The track is sprawled out and so much more stunning live. The effervescent harmonies toward the end of the track were just as easily rendered on stage as they were on the record. Next they went into “Putting the Dog to Sleep,” the closing track off Burst Apart and one of The Antler’s most arresting tracks as it compares euthanizing a pet to a dissolving relationship. Everyone was pretty cool with this as their final song, but as they morphed the outro into “Wake” that’s when everyone lost it. The emotionally-wrapped song that closed Hopsice filled the room as Silbrman’s voice barely held its ground as he sang “Don’t ever let anyone tell you you deserved that.”
We here at the blog have been writing ad nauseum this whole year about how Buffalo has been absolutely killing it in the concert department, but even so, not every band stops through our city so we have to hit the road from time to time. Luckily, Rochester is close enough to make an evening out of it. Tonight, we head east to the Water Street Music Hall to catch Brooklyn trio the Antlers. Since forming in 2006, the indie rock threesome has been releasing some of the best, yet emotionally devastating music that genre has to offer. Their latest record, the summer released Undersea EP, continues that theme, this time adding woozy horns to the already slow, drifting guitars and percussion. The Antlers played a thrilling show at Ninth Ward a few years back when they were supporting their debut LP Hospice, and without a Buffalo stop on this tour, taking the short drive to Rochester looks to be the only place in WNY to catch the trio this year. Tickets for tonight's show at $17 at the door. Music begins at 8:00pm.
Let's say, hypothetically, that it's officially summer. And hypothetically you're a lover of great music, but you have been out of the loop lately. There's no shame in it, we've all been there. Let's say, for the sake of argument, you need some new music to reinvigorate this moment where the world is at its seasonal zenith, bustling with activity, both leisurely and business-related. This is all hypothetical, but let's say that there is a list (a top ten list we'll call it) that could count down the most anticipated new album releases to come out this month. Too good to be true, right? Nay! At this hour we bring you the very list which will quench your melodic thirst and provide shade from the sweltering summer monotony of that mysterious ice cream truck music that you never hear the end of, and ironically never witness driving down your street.
10. Slug Guts - Playing In Time With The Deadpan Post-punk rockers Slug Guts will be releasing their third album Playin In Time With The Deadbeat via Sacred Bones on July 24. Hailing from Brisbane, Australia the group is following up their 2010 release, Howlin’ Gang, which has best been described as “swamp rock”. Their single “Adult Living” delivers a frenzied punch of maniacal howls and filthy guitar licks. You can listen to the single below:
9. Delicate Steve - Positive Force
"Like a hydro-electric Mothra rising from the ashes of an African village burned to the ground by post-rkc minotaurs, the magic of Delicate Steve will literally make you the happiest person who has ever lived," is how Chuck Klosterman begins his satirical press release that Delicate Steve's record label, Luaka Bop, hired him to write, mind you, without having actually listened to his music. The point being, if you want to know about Delicate Steve's music, just give it an honest listen, and see if you like it. And if you want to laugh your ass off afterward, read Klosterman's hilarious piece here. Either way Delicate Steve is releasing his bedroom-produced LP Posiive Force on July 10.
8. Holograms - Holograms
The Stockholm four-piece punk outfit, Holograms, have spent the last year prepping their debut self-titled LP which will be released July 10 via Captured Tracks. They gave us a taste of their garage-punk capabilities back in April when they released their 7” ABC City, a romping good track with thick guitar riffs and anthemic vocals. Also, insanely catchy and fast-paced. Listen to a cut off their new LP called "Monolith" below:
7. Poolside - Pacific Standard Time
According to their Facebook page ‘about’ section, Poolside defines their genre of music as “Daytime Disco”. And that’s totally accurate. While their name is a bit obvious, it’s hard to deny that this L.A. duo has something going for them, especially when they’re releasing music at the height of their self-titled season. Originally working as studio-hands to facilitate many mainstream pop musicians, Filip Nikolic and Jeffery Paradise decided to step away from trying to produce hits for a while, and get back to what they know best: hanging out by the pool and DJing parties. They will be releasing their first album Pacific Standard Time July 9.
6. Eternal Summers - Corrective Behavior
Eternal Summers are back with their sophomore cut, Correct Behavior, out July 24. The Roanoke, VA duo have an assembly-line approach to crafting songs, using same parts Jazzmaster and surf-rock snare to fit snuggly together in a expedited package, guaranteed to ship to you in 3 minutes or less. Rumor has it that the band is looking to take a more expansive approach on their latest endeavor which is good news to those who found their summers much more finite by reoccurring textural equations that the group may have put forth in their dreamy, full-length debut, Silver. You can visit their bandcamp site here.
5.Foxygen - Take The Kids Off Broadway
Take The Kids Off Broadway is the debut album of Foxygen, the Olympia/New York duo of Sam France and Jonathan Rado, and it’s due out July 24, although it is available for full listen on the group's bandcamp site now. In some ways the group bares resemblance to MGMT and Dr. Dog, but with a stronger leaning toward lo-fi psych-pop. “Make It Known” is catchy and vibrant with France crooning deep vocals over a freewheeling 60s-style organ.
4. Twin Shadow - Confess
George Lewis Jr.’s debut album under the Twin Shadow moniker, Forget, left a lasting impression on me since its 2010 release. I still listen to that album regularly, and even after two short years it offers up new light every time. Twin Shadow has a way of taking meandering 80s new wave rhythms and layering them sagely with eloquent vocal tones, leaving the listener in a vapor of blasé bliss. When I first listened to the new single from his sophomore LP, Confess, it put me in a linear state of diversion. I listened to the song several times before I remembered the vast iTunes library and steady wi-fi connection at my disposal that I was ignoring. I continued to ignore it. It’s an intense love song wrought with heartache as Lewis sings, “Five seconds in your heart / Strait to your heart / I can’t get to your heart.” You can pre-order the album on his website now.
3. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
Leading man of Dirty Projectors, Dave Longstreth, has often been labeled a genius. A genre-defying genius, a Frank Zappa hating genius, a Yale dropout genius. Listen to any of Dirty Projectors last seven albums spanning back to 2003, and you’ll find a consistent devotion to ornate songwriting. He’s worked with too many artists to count, including Björk, whom Dirty Projectors released a split LP with in 2010 entitled Mount Wittenberg Orca. The group’s last companionless LP, 2009’s Bitte Orca, was near flawless, bristling with an abundance of string and vocal harmonies à la Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian, lugging their respective guitar and bass. The new album, Swing Low Magellan, is due out July 10. You can watch the video for the first cut from the LP “The Gun Has No Trigger” and also pre-order the limited edition vinyl (3000 copies pressed) over at the band’s website now.
2. The Antlers - Undersea
Since Peter Silberman began writing music in his Brooklyn bedroom, there has been a repute of forlornness attached to his music. After recruiting band members Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci, Silberman took a collection of songs he wrote that told the story of an emotionally tempestuous relationship and recorded and released their first album Hospiceto much approval. Their sophomore album, Burst Apart, was released a little more than a year ago, and exceeded the expectations of audiences, even garnering spots on various end-of-year 2011 top albums lists. On July 24, the group plans to release a collection of 4 songs entitled Undersea, which, in a press release, is described as “an EP in length, but well beyond that in scope.” This description is manifested on “Drift Dive”, which plays like a SigurRós track when first breaking through the water, but as the bubbles rise, it quickly becomes a languorous labyrinth of reverb-ed beauty as you plummet deeper and the light starts to bend. Sure, we all wish this was a full-length album, but luckily The Antlers’ have a way of transforming minutes into hours. In the case of Undersea (which we can safely call a concept EP?) less is more, if you will.
1. Purity Ring - Shrines
Last week I was sick of hearing so much aboutPurity Ring, that I decided to listen to them for the first time via their track “Fineshrine”. I know, I’m a little late in the game, but holy shit am I hooked. Megan James waxes on sacrificial imagery as the artwork of a keeled-over lamb suggests, “Cut open my sternum and pull / My little ribs around you.” Her voice is childlike, sincere, ethereal, passionate. The other half of Purity Ring is beat-smith Corin Roddick, former member of Gobble Gobble, who has added a haunting dream-pop touch to James’s already phantasmic melodies. The duo who formed more than 2 years ago and has yet to release an LP have already gathered so much respect, propelling them to a top spot in this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, which buffaBLOG will be happily covering this year. The much anticipated Shrines will be released on July 24 via 4AD. If you’re not opposed to traveling a little over an hour outside of Buffalo, you can see Purity Ring on their tour as they make stops in both Toronto (7/6) and Rochester (7/18) this month. You can also check out a complete track listing of the album here.
Only 15 months after releasing their outstanding sophomore LP, Burst Apart, which got album of the week honors on the blog back in May 2011, The Antlers have announced that they will apparently be releasing a new album, Undersea, on July 24 via ANTI- Records.
A little after noon today, the band tweeted, “today is the day...” to nearly 22,000 followers, followed by another tweet which supplied a link to a trippy one-minute video with warped images of an underwater diver, deep-sea volcanoes, dolphins, etc., all backed by what could be a sample from a new track. Watch the video below and check out a track from Burst Apart.
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