The Antlers - Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out review

The Antlers announced their arrival with one of the most melancholy and critically acclaimed albums in recent memory.  Titled Hospice, it was a concept album of sorts that dealt with the pain of everything from surviving a loved one's passing to unplanned pregnancy with overwhelming distress.  It was the type of album that crept up on you slowly, with each song building slowly to a crescendo of emotional anguish.  It succeeded by creating an atmosphere of dense, complex songs that tugged at the heartstrings.  Even the more sonically heavy songs like "Sylvia" retained this feeling, which helped with the overall mood and atmospehere of the album.

The latest single from the perpetually despondent Brooklynites is a bit of an enigma for the sole reason that we are forced to listen to it without the context of the entire album.  The boys from the band said that their new effort, Burst Apart, would be a step in a different direction, even hinting at incorporating electronic sounds to a certain extent.  "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out" does indeed have an electronic tinge to it, in that there is an echoing little twinkle that had me searching for my mobile, as I thought it was ringing.  Peter Silberman's voice is also processed to a certain extent, although the band primarily sticks to traditional instruments.

The single clocks in at a little over three minutes and while I can't work out whether or not there is any significance to someone's teeth falling out, it is a tight, engaging ride.  "Every Night" seems to incorporate all of the elements that made their first album such a joy to listen to.  Vocal croons are left in tact, and delicate finger plucking leading into massive wails of electric guitar with bombastic choruses fuse together seamlessly.  The song seems to be an organic and natural progression in The Antlers sound.  That being said, one of the reasons Hospice was so good was because of its cohesiveness, it remains to be seen whether or not that cohesion reappears on Burst Apart, but so far, so good.

Listen to Burst Apart in its entirety courtesy of NPR. 

St. Jerome's Laneway Festival

So I went to the Laneway Festival in Adelaide this past Friday and it was a blast.  A great lineup (much better than Big Day Out) and phenomenal sets by bands big and small made the day very memorable.  My only complaint was that the venue was tiny.  It was literally held in an alleyway behind a nightclub.  This generally wasn't a problem, however there were instances of people being pushed, stepped on, spilled on, burnt with lit cigarettes, and on occasion, hit in the head with flying Asahi beer bottles (don't fret, they were plastic).  The above picture kind of sums it all up, although it was even more crowded when some of the bigger name bands came on later in the evening (Two Door Cinema Club was almost unwatchable due to the mass pandemonium that set in when they took the stage).  In total there were three stages, the main stage (pictured above), a medium sized one tucked into a corner, and the smallest stage actually being inside of the nightclub.  Overall it was an enjoyable experience and all of the bands that I managed to catch had some really great sets including the following:

Warpaint - not only can they play their instruments, but this all girl band isn't too bad to look at either.
Bear In Heaven - sonically impressive band from Brooklyn (despite the fact that the lead singer looks like the ultimate lax bro).
The Antlers - played some new songs that were so-so, but a good, raw set overall. 
Two Door Cinema Club - fun and energetic, if you've heard their album you've pretty much heard them live.
Yeasayer - the set was a little hit and miss for me, but impressive nonetheless.
Cut Copy - my girlfriend hates Cut Copy but has admitted that they put on a great show, I've seen them twice now and I have to agree.

Check out the full lineup here.  Scroll below for video from the show.

Deerhunter


Cloud Control


Warpaint


Cut Copy


Make sure you head over to Spoz's Rant for an incredibly detailed review of the show chock full o' videos pictures and other goodies.