Hospice

Product Details

Product Reviews

(5 stars) - A Staggeringly Beautiful Work
This is my first contribution to any book or piece of music on Amazon. Call me lazy. This collection of music inspired me to write.

This is a beautiful collection of songs born from a complex experience.

"Two," "Kettering" and "Bear" are standouts but the whole work is worth having and listening to.

Best album for me in years.

(4 stars) - Outstanding 'debut' album
This is technically not the debut album of the Antlers, the band fronted by Peter Silberman, as he has recorded several albums previously by himself under the Antlers name, but for all practical purposes, it truly needs to be looked at as the fully fleshed-out band's debut album.

Let's start with this: "Hospice" (10 tracks; 52 min.) is a mood album, and dark and that, from start to finish, but what a beauty it is. After a short instrumental "Prologue", the album dives in with a brooding "Kettering". It is followed by an almost chatartic "Sylvia", which bursts with energy (and horns to boot). But things return to darker after that, with a mesmorizing "Atrophy", a dreamy "Bear" that is just stunning in its beauty. "Two" is the most upbeat and optimistic-sounding track on here. It all leads up to the 9 min. track "Wake", which captures the album perfectly, an epic-but-brooding song that you'll want to hear again and again, wow. What an album.

The buzz about this band has been building steadily and when I had a chance to see them in September at the Monolith Music Festival (at the Red Rocks, near Denver), the room was packed like sardines and it felt like you were experiencing something special. They put on a 50 min. set that brought most of the songs on here and you had a feeling watching a band that is going places. Finally, if you wonder where you can hear these guys, check out WOXY (BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll), the internet-only station that brings the best indie-music in the country, where this album has been in heavy rotation for months now. "Hospice" is HIGLY RECOMMENDED!

(5 stars) - Wake (up, everyone)
I will begin with an opinion that this album deserves to be one of the best of 2009. I am not being biased on this judgement even though I love "Hospice" a lot.

It is kind of misleading to trust the samples here in Amazon. Those 30 seconds, yes, they do reflect the sound and basis of the album, but in no world you can experience the whole and the strength of "Hospice". To be honest, I have hardly ever heard such a solid album which could only stand by itself only if every song was present on the album. I mean, if, for example, the song "Bear" had been taken out, not only the story but also the music continuum would have been ruined.

It is hard to start liking this album, I suppose. But when you do, there is no way back. I reckon that chamber pop is not that charming and catchy so everyone could just fall in love with it at the first sound. However, the fans of chamber pop should see no problems here. In addition, the "Prologue" is not a charmer song and people who start listening the album from the first track might get the wrong impression. Nevertheless, "Prologue" and "Epilogue" are essential to the "Hospice", otherwise the story would be dead.

I would like to find a band which might have influenced the Antlers or might sound like them but, honestly, I hardly can. I dare to say that the Antlers have their own, maybe unique sound. And don't try looking here for pop, get along or cheerful sounds. This is probably the most depressing album I have heard in years. And in no way this is a bad thing as one of the reviewer said (I think). If you feel like this is the most depressing album so it means that the band has achieved their goal - they have created music which affects and makes you feel. What else might you expect?

I also read that people are not satisfied with the lyrics. Some say that why would you write too personal happenings, emotions and etc. But again - if the lyrics were different the music would be different. People, aren't you bored with all those million songs which cannot be distinguished by lyrics? "Hospice", in my opinion, has great lyrics, for example, some lines of the song "Wake" (which I think is the strongest track they got): "It was easier to lock the doors and kill the phones than to show my skin, because the hardest thing is never to repent for someone else, it's letting people in..".

And don't try listening this at the party, while doing dishes and etc. This music requires attention, concentration and time. However, it is worth it. Trust me.

Key tracks:
- Kettering
- Bear
- Two
- Wake
- Epilogue

(3 stars) - hospice
i too witnessed life at its' end through a hospice. terrible experience. one of the worsts. so why would you write about that experience? maybe to purge and slant; to put a new creative take on to a horrible vision, i guess. well i would not have the strength to take this subject on it is good these guys did. the images in the songs (both music and lyric) are symphonic and luxerious. sound is little muddy and swampy. or was that my feeling when hearing this?

(5 stars) - I had known in that first minute...
I don't know anything about the band, but I downloaded the album after hearing the samples of each song. After a few listens I have to agree with the reviews here: this album is special. Somber and depressing, but if you aren't someone who is afraid to go there, it's an amazing journey of music and storytelling. His voice is reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, kinda, the music is very unique, dramatic, yet simple and organic. You should be able to tell if you'll like this album by listening to the 30 sec. sample Amazon let's you hear. This certainly isn't an album that has songs you'll ever hear on the radio, or you'll be singing along to, but it's much deeper than that. As I listen to this album, I wonder what this group experienced to write these songs, and to have so much realism in what they're singing about. I'm sure this album isn't for everyone, but if you love introspective and sad music, you'll love this album more and more with each listen.

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