Considering the rave reviews of
the Antlers
' 2009 album and all the arena tours that followed, it could be misconstrued that a title like
Burst Apart
would be about the trials and tribulations of blowing up. Actually,
Peter Silberman
's second album is an album without a concept -- a bit of a relief after the deathbed theme that weighed down
Hospice
. For
,
Silberman
puts his personal tragedy behind him and starts anew by burying himself in electronics to make a unique sort of wistful chamber pop for the digital age.
Michael Lerner
and multi-instrumentalist
Darby Cicci
return to flesh out the songs, but
Boards of Canada
and
Air
are more of a guiding force this time than the fuzz-folkish
Neutral Milk Hotel
influence heard on
. As before, the atmospheric electronics of
"Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out"
"Parentheses"
are comparable to latter-day
Radiohead
, but for most of
sound like a glossy, adult contemporary version of
Deerhunter
.
's voice has strengthened and his silky falsetto leads the slick wash of echoey beats and spacy synths. In the best moments,
"Putting the Dog to Sleep,"
"French Exit,"
"Rolled Together"
have slow-tumbling, watery melodies that shimmer and swell to big tidal-wave hooks.
may have been organic and fragile, but
is sleek and self-assured, and the new image suits
well. ~ Jason Lymangrover