My Beautiful... didn't really do anything much to me. But it's still way better than Hospice. The Antlers are probably the one recent band I don't understand the craze about the most. Must be me.
Hospice is an absolutely heartbreaking album. From a musical perspective the addition of a full band to The Antlers' sound helped take Silberman's music from an isolated, lonely thing to something far more atmospheric will still retaining personality and beauty. If one was to listen to Hospice and not hear any of the lyrics, just the music itself, I imagine the overall effect would be relatively similar. Whether it's transition from Bear to Thirteen which feels like an amazing release of emotions, or the slow, harrowing guitar that intros Shiva with the rest of the band coming in to fill out the sound, even the music itself in Hospice leaves a strong emotional reaction. Many people would argue, however, that Hospice's true strength lies in the lyrics and Silberman's voice. As far as storytelling goes, the album is far more cohesive than many other concept albums, telling a story of a hospice worker and a terminal patient while also doubling as an analogy for emotionally abusive relationships. The lyrics themselves are fairly beautiful and heartbreaking throughout, with the whispered vocals of Kettering purveying a sense of emotional dread, while the Epilogue of the album shows the emotional trauma left by the events of the album on the main character. Reading the lyrics through while listening to the album is required at least once to experience the full emotional impact of it, and they're all fantastic, wonderful lyrics that range from poetic beauty to sheer emotional impact.
Anyways, Hospice has been my favorite album for a while now, I've had a chance to see The Antlers live, I have about as much merch as The Antlers have made, I feel really passionate about this band. The fact that Peter Silberman and the rest of the band are fantastic people too is pretty great. But yeah, Hospice has effected me more emotionally than any other album I've listened to, and for me that's one of the biggest factors when it comes to my enjoyment of music. I like being involved, I enjoy crying to music because I feel that's one of the purest emotional connections you can get with music, and Hospice epitomizes that to me. It's an absolutely beautiful album, which is fantastic on both a musical and lyrical front, and is just amazing overall.
No contest, MBDTF is a brilliant masterpiece. Hospice I struggle to get through. Although Hospice gets better as you listen, it just comes across as not a very well executed concept album. _________________ -Ryan
I like Hospice, don't get me wrong. However, I've recently felt like I've gotten a second wind on MBDTF. I've re-discovered Devil in a New Dress, which I blew off earlier, and found it's one of the best tracks I've ever heard.
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