Review Summary: The Antlers' least immediate release is also their most consistent and rewarding.
The Antlers’ excellent 2012 EP "Undersea" undoubtedly was a turning point in the band’s career. This was the sound of a band becoming their own through sprawling atmosphere and soaring falsetto vocals, distinguishing themselves from their peers. The band continues this progression on its newest album, "Familiars," propelling the listener into an atmosphere of playful guitar chords, light percussion, gentle piano, and constant horns.
While the album’s focus on atmosphere may be considered a flaw because of its less-immediate and overly homogenous nature, this is arguably The Antlers’ most consistent and rewarding release to date. On the first couple listens, I found myself unable to remember what any of the songs sounded like, save the gorgeous opener “Palace” and the relaxed-yet-demanding “Parade.” However, with repeated listens, the album’s hooks really start to click. Each song has a special moment that demands attention, even though it may have passed right by so many times before without being noticed.
Perhaps the biggest change in this release is the aforementioned horns, which permeate the whole album. However, they never take away from the other instrumentation, but instead bring a subtle flavor that adds to the whole. On the track’s closer, “Refuge,” this is done beautifully: the first chorus doesn’t include horns, but the second chorus does, and results in a grandiose, full-circle ending to the album. Subtleties like this are consistently rewarded to the listener throughout the album upon repeated listens.
There are a wide range of emotions that are evident throughout "Familiars," due to Peter Silberman’s vocal delivery and lyric style. He will sing a verse in the relaxing falsetto that fans have come to expect from him, followed a long instrumental interlude that eventually builds up to Silberman expressing his feelings as loud as he can. This is perfectly exemplified on “Director,” where he begs for someone to listen to him, “So you forgot your way? Well I’m trying to remind you.” Silberman’s pleas and the atmosphere complement each other so well; they each want the listener to look deeper into what is already there and find meaning.
"Familiars" is an incredibly cathartic experience when digested correctly and when it receives the attention to detail that it deserves. The Antlers are asking the listener to pay attention to the small details in his/her life, and realize that maybe honesty with these details will help them find out what they really want. “You’re already home, but you don’t even know it,” Silberman sings on the closer, “Refuge.” Maybe all you’ve ever wanted is right in front of you; you just aren’t
familiar enough with it yet to notice.
