[Photo courtesy of Amanda Hatfield]
After a surprise midnight show a few weeks ago at the Knitting Factory (that recording here), The Antlers came back for a duo of proper hometown performances. The first of these, at the incredible-sounding Music Hall of Williamsburg, had the manic energy and theatricality (complete with billowing stage smoke and a happyface balloon tower) that I have come to expect from triumphant returns by Brooklyn bands in this venue. The Antlers won’t be staying in town long; they are back on the road for festivals on the West Coast at the end of this month, as well as a rigorous tour swing through the U.S. and Canada in June. With the new record Burst Apart now in stores and critically acclaimed, the band are delivering its songs live as if they’ve been playing these songs for years. The set focused heavily on the new material, including the standout first single, the Radiohead-referencing “Parentheses” and one of my personal favorites, “Rolled Together”. Peter Silberman’s voice soared to its usual operatic heights, and the band seems to enjoy sinking their teeth into the more rocking new material. The four-song encore including three of the strongest tracks from their breakout album Hospice – my personal favorite “Kettering,” the narrative masterpiece “Two,” and the set closer, “Wake.” As great as they are, the Hospice numbers didn’t overshadow the new songs; that record, and those songs, are incredible, but Burst Apart, as this show proved, stands on its own – and is possibly the better record to play live, with its denser atmospherics and slightly harder edge. Three albums in, The Antlers are still a young band, and one that, we are sure, will continue to evolve and grow.
We recorded this set from the center of the balcony with the Schoeps microphones on an extension arm lowered toward the stacks, running into an analog preamp to provide natural warmth. The DPA microphones were also used in a small amount to add some atmosphere and room feel to the recording. We are very pleased with the results. Enjoy!
The May 20 show at Bowery Ballroom was also recorded and will be posted shortly.
Stream “Rolled Together”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/A3398Antlers3200/06 Rolled Together.mp3]
Stream “Kettering”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/A3398Antlers3200/14 Kettering.mp3]
This recording is now available for download as FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].
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The Antlers
2011-05-19
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA
An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com
Equipment: Schoeps Mk41>CMC6>Oade M248 + DPA 4021 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Center balcony, on extension arm/clamps, DPA X/Y, Schoeps PAS
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ DPA source, mixdown, smooth peaks, set fades, amplify and balance, smooth peaks, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks [Total Time 1:32:11]
01 I Don’t Want Love
02 [banter]
03 No Widows
04 Parentheses
05 French Exit
06 Rolled Together
07 Bear
08 [banter]
09 Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out
10 [banter]
11 Hounds
12 Putting the Dog to Sleep
13 [encore break]
14 Kettering
15 Corsicana
16 Two
17 [banter]
18 Wake
If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Antlers, visit their website, and order Burst Apart from their site [HERE].
This is really a great performance. it’s amazing how much this band has fleshed out their sound over the last couple of years.