Zer0

It's fascinating how much an album can grow on you after several years. It's almost like the meaning of the album and the emotions portrayed on the album become more pronounced after a long period of time. The first time I listened to Hospice by The Antlers was not long after its release towards the latter part of 2009. At the time I thought that it was nothing too special. A good album most definitely but it seemed like just another album release to me. During the latter half of 2009 I was listening to quite a lot of recent indie rock promoted by some of the more well known alternative music websites, but Hospice didn't particularly stand out from the crowd to me like the way it does now.

Perhaps albums with the deepest and most complex emotions running through them take more time to grow on you. Over time Hospice revealed itself to have emotion in bucketloads. Despair, hopelessness, heartbreak, frustration, anger, love and nostalgia all make a welcome appearance to the party. Losing a loved one, friend or relative to illness is something that most of us have probably been through or will eventually have to face. I have stumbled across very few albums which address death in the same manner as Hospice.

Musically this album consists of quiet-loud dynamics which work wonders in amplifying the emotional depth of the album. Songs veer from quiet and subdued moments of resignation to outbursts of despair and frustration. 'Sylvia' is the perfect example of this. 'Thirteen' features a haunting female vocal by an artist whom I have grown to love in recent years. I have this album to thank for introducing me to the wonderful Sharon Van Etten. As enjoyable as Burst Apart and Familiars were, they just lacked what makes Hospice so engaging. But even if The Antlers are only really remembered for Hospice twenty or thirty years down the road, I sincerely hope that this album is regarded as an 00's indie classic of sorts.

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