Hospice (The Antlers album)
Hospice | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 23, 2009 | |||
Recorded | July 2007 – August 2008 | |||
Studio | Watcher's Woods, Brooklyn | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 51:47 | |||
Label | Frenchkiss | |||
Producer | The Antlers | |||
The Antlers chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hospice | ||||
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Hospice is the third studio album by American indie rock band The Antlers, and their first concept album. It was initially self-distributed by the band in March 2009, and was eventually remastered and re-released once they signed to Frenchkiss Records in August of the same year.[2][3]
Concept[]
Hospice tells the story of a relationship between a hospice worker and a female patient suffering from terminal bone cancer, their ensuing romance, and their slow downward spiral as a result of the woman's traumas, fears, and disease as a metaphor for an abusive relationship. Frontman Peter Silberman has been reluctant to divulge explicit details regarding the meaning of the record, and the extent to which it is autobiographical.[4]
Reception[]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.8/10[5] |
Metacritic | 83/100[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The A.V. Club | A−[7] |
The Daily Telegraph | [8] |
The Guardian | [9] |
The Irish Times | [10] |
NME | 8/10[11] |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10[12] |
Q | [13] |
Spin | 7/10[14] |
Uncut | [15] |
The album was released to critical acclaim. Pitchfork endorsed the re-release of Hospice with their "Best New Music" stamp.[12] NPR Music placed the album at number one on their list of the top ten albums of early 2009.[16] At the end of the year, Pitchfork placed it number 37 on their list of the best albums of 2009, praising its "power to emotionally destroy listeners."[17] Beats Per Minute named it the best album of 2009,[18] while Rhapsody deemed it the 24th best album of 2009.[19]
It sold 13,000 copies in the United States by October 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[20]
Singles[]
The first single was "Bear", released in April 2009 to promote the self-released version of Hospice. "Two" was the first single released commercially, as a digital download in June 2009. The song's music video features a combination of photography and cutout animation, and was directed by Ethan Segal and Albert Thrower.[21] In the United Kingdom, "Bear" was released on 7-inch vinyl on November 16, 2009, featuring an exclusive remix of "Bear" by Darby Cicci on the B-side.[22] Additionally, an exclusive live recording of "Sylvia" at The Orchard in New York City was released as a download on November 17, 2009.[23] "Sylvia" was issued as the third proper single on March 22, 2010. A music video was produced for the song, directed by Trey Hock, and premiered on the IFC's website on April 15, 2010.[24] The song "Kettering" was featured in the following shows and films: Chuck (season 3, episode 13), Sense8 (season 1, episode 1), The 100 (season 1, episode 10), indie film Camp X-Ray, "Offspring" (season 1, episode 5), Fear the Walking Dead (season 1, episode 6), and Riverdale (2017 TV series) (season 4, episode 14).
Track listing[]
All songs written by Peter Silberman. In the liner notes, all songs are given alternate titles.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Prologue" (Hospice) | 2:35 |
2. | "Kettering" (Bedside Manner) | 5:10 |
3. | "Sylvia" (Sliding Curtains Shining Children's Heads) | 5:27 |
4. | "Atrophy" (Rings Ill-Fitting) | 7:40 |
5. | "Bear" (Children Become Their Parents Become Their Children) | 3:54 |
6. | "Thirteen" (Sylvia Speaks) | 3:11 |
7. | "Two" (I Would Have Saved Her If I Could) | 5:56 |
8. | "Shiva" (Portacaths Switched) | 3:45 |
9. | "Wake" (Letting People In) | 8:44 |
10. | "Epilogue" (Sylvia Alive In Nightmares) | 5:25 |
Release history[]
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog no. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | March 23, 2009 | The Antlers Music | CD | 7 26167-4620-2 3 |
August 18, 2009 | Frenchkiss Records | CD (remastered) | FKR041-2 | |
LP | FKR041-1 | |||
United Kingdom | October 19, 2009 | Frenchkiss/Studio !K7 | CD | FK041CD |
Credits[]
Personnel[]
- Peter Silberman – vocals, guitar, accordion, harmonica, harp, keyboards
- Darby Cicci – trumpet, bowed banjo
- Michael Lerner – drums, percussion
- Justin Stivers – bass
- Sharon Van Etten – vocals on "Kettering," "Thirteen," "Two," and "Shiva"[25]
Production[]
- Recorded at Watcher's Woods, Brooklyn
- Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound
- Original release mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk
- Artwork by Zan Goodman
- Design by Darby Cicci
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Lymangrover, Jason. "Hospice – The Antlers". AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "Interview with Peter Silberman". Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- ^ "The Antlers: An Album Review". Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- ^ Ayers, Michael D. (August 21, 2009). "Interview: The Antlers' Peter Silberman on their strikingly haunting debut Hospice and those nagging Arcade Fire comparisons". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ "Hospice by The Antlers reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ "Reviews for Hospice by The Antlers". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (August 18, 2009). "The Antlers: Hospice". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ McCormick, Neil (November 18, 2009). "The Antlers: Hospice". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Hughes, Tom (October 22, 2009). "The Antlers: Hospice". The Guardian. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ Carroll, Jim (March 27, 2009). "The Antlers: Hospice (Self-release)". The Irish Times. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "The Antlers: Hospice". NME. 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Howe, Brian (August 4, 2009). "The Antlers: Hospice". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "The Antlers: Hospice". Q (281): 111. December 2009.
- ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (August 2009). "The Antlers: Hospice". Spin. 25 (8): 84. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "The Antlers: Hospice". Uncut (151): 98. December 2009.
- ^ Hilton, Robin (February 26, 2009). "2009 already better than 2008". NPR Music. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- ^ "Staff Lists: The Top 50 Albums of 2009". Pitchfork. December 17, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2009". Beats Per Minute. December 21, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
- ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 2009". Rhapsody. December 29, 2009. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ https://perpetua.tumblr.com/post/293484776/pitchfork-top-10-albums-in-us-sales
- ^ "The Antlers — "Two"". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- ^ Antlers, The - Bear (7″) at Discogs
- ^ "Sylvia: Live at The Orchard NYC: The Antlers". Amazon.com MP3 Downloads.
- ^ Kim, Brandon (15 April 2010). "Exclusive! Video premiere: The Antlers' "Sylvia" + free EP!". IFC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ Kaloudis, Evan; Koepp, Brent (December 21, 2009). "Interview: Peter Silberman of The Antlers". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
Yep. She is on 'Kettering,' 'Thirteen,' 'Two' and 'Shiva.'
- 2009 albums
- The Antlers (band) albums
- Frenchkiss Records albums
- Concept albums
- Works about cancer