Today, just after I woke up, I randomly decided to stay in bed and finally listen properly to some new music that I’d come across. More specifically this album, Hospice by The Antlers. I came across it while reading a norwegian online music magazine called musicheads, as it was listed in their Top 20 Albums Of The Year.
I added all the listed albums that I could find (through Spotify) to a playlist, and let the music randomly play while I was doing other things. This is never the best way to listen to music, but I’m a very easily distracted person, and it’s the only method I feel I can use in order to filter through the constant stream of new music that I wade through practically every day.
Anyway, one of the songs from this album called Kettering (which is the second track) came on, and I noticed it because of its minimalism and delicate mood. I liked it a lot and decided to listen to the album more closely when I could find the right moment to do so. That moment was this morning, and I’m glad I did it. When listening to music like this I prefer to have the lyrics and the cover art at hand. It helps immersion. And boy, did it suck me in.
I should give you some more basic information about the album before proceeding further; The genre is a little hard for me to pinpoint, but I’m guessing post-rock would be the best way to describe it. The album follows a storyline which is based on the front-man Peter Silberman’s own life experience; His longtime childhood girlfriend was diagnosed with cancer when they were young. He stuck by her side throughout her illness. They got engaged, she got better, then she cheated on him and left.
The album doesn’t stay entirely true to the original story, but knowing this information will make listening to this album a much richer and more intense experience. You can also think of it as the story of someone caring for a loved one who is deathly ill, even though this person becomes abusive, unstable, and just plain horrible to be around. You stick it through because you love them, but end up hurt and scarred to the point of killing yourself.
You can stream the entire album from Spotify. It’s also available from Amazon and the iTunes music store.
The original liner notes can be found here. I would say they are pretty much essential to get if you plan on listening to this, and if you do, do it all in one sitting where you are sure you won’t be disturbed and are able to focus on the story that the music is conveying.
This album floored me like little else has done for quite a while. I wish I had listened to it earlier. As the last song was close to ending, I found myself covered in tears. It was genuinely moving and intense. If you do give this album a listen, please let me know. It would be great to read other people’s reactions to this. I hope you feel richer for the experience.