National Music Reviews
The Antlers
Familiars
ANTI-
Street: 06.17
The Antlers = Beach House + Panda Bear
Arrested Development and The Antlers have a lot in common for me. I hold both dear, have loved everything they’ve put out in the past, and both have broken my heart in recent years. If Hospice and Burst Apart are the first three seasons of Arrested Development, then Familiars is Season 4. Both hold to the basic core things that helped define previous efforts, while also somehow losing everything that made them interesting in the first place. Much like their previous albums, Familiars is a pleasant and inoffensive listen. Unlike their previous albums, Familiars is boring as hell. Most of these songs lack a basic sense of direction, instead being content to drift along in a wash of synths and overbearing trumpet playing. The only redeeming quality here, for me, is singer Peter Silberman’s excellent vocal delivery. It’s really the only thing on point through the entire album. –Alex Gilvarry
Familiars
ANTI-
Street: 06.17
The Antlers = Beach House + Panda Bear
Arrested Development and The Antlers have a lot in common for me. I hold both dear, have loved everything they’ve put out in the past, and both have broken my heart in recent years. If Hospice and Burst Apart are the first three seasons of Arrested Development, then Familiars is Season 4. Both hold to the basic core things that helped define previous efforts, while also somehow losing everything that made them interesting in the first place. Much like their previous albums, Familiars is a pleasant and inoffensive listen. Unlike their previous albums, Familiars is boring as hell. Most of these songs lack a basic sense of direction, instead being content to drift along in a wash of synths and overbearing trumpet playing. The only redeeming quality here, for me, is singer Peter Silberman’s excellent vocal delivery. It’s really the only thing on point through the entire album. –Alex Gilvarry
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