By Andrea Lara
It’s been seven years since their last album, but The Antlers have made a comeback with a must listen called Green to Gold. They are an American indie rock band currently made up of Peter Silberman, Darby Cicci, and Michael Lerner, that is based out of Brooklyn, New York. They started up in 2006 with their very first album called “Uprooted” and from there have created five other albums and singles. If you’re into slow but intense soul jerkers, The Antlers are the one for you. The instrumentals are by far my personal pull to their sound and if you give them a listen, you will feel it too. Their latest album is a sunnier version of their usual music, as the band puts it. Albums such as “Familiars” from 2014 tend to give off an eerier sound and for this latest release, the band went for a “Sunday morning” feel within each song. According to The Antlers website bio, each song was written in the morning hours which could explain the given style for the album. Peter Silberman says, “I think the shift in tone is the result of getting older. It doesn’t make sense for me to try to tap into the same energy that I did ten or fifteen years ago, because I continue to grow as a person, as I’m sure our audience does too. Green to Gold is about this idea of gradual change. People changing over time, struggling to accept change in those they love, and struggling to change themselves. And yet despite all our difficulty with this, nature somehow makes it look easy.”
Here are just a few songs from the ten track album that will lure you in for more of The Antlers:
Strawflower
This is the first song on Green to Gold, and I believe that it really gives good insight to the full album’s sound. Its light and sweet sound opens up the mind to uplifting vibes and centers your emotions. This particular song is precisely instrumentals with no vocals, so it really allows you to take in and appreciate the artist’s playing and instrumental sound.
It Is What It Is
If you are like me and occasionally enjoy songs for the connection that you can make with them, start the album off with this one. The lyrics on this song are minimal but worth the attention based on the message. There are always those what ifs and questioning in life but in the end, there is nothing you can do to change what has been done. Such as the artist explains the album to be about, struggling to change and accept the changes. As for the sound, as the rest of the album, the tones and vocals are calming and pleasing.
Just One Sec
Close your eyes and keep them shut for this one because it will take you to another place where you see all things green with gleaming sunlight and a light breeze tracing your cheek. The piano and guitar slow dance around as they enter your ears pleasantly. Gratifying vocals following and leading you into bliss.
Stubborn Man
This is another song that presents enchanting instrumentals. Sitting outside with the early morning sun slowly heating up your skin and a cup of coffee in hands. You look up at a tall tree that soars over you, as the rays of light peak through the leaves and you inhale deeply. This experience just about sums up the stimulation from Stubborn Man.
Green to Gold
This one is the liveliest of them all with its more upbeat sound and unignorable guitar grooves. Also another great quality about this song is the swaying lyrics with poetic verses and cadences that really pull everything together harmonically. As the song that names the album, the bar was met.
Vibe out to the full album and let the music drift you off and away from any ghostly thoughts.
