Marlee White January 30, 2012 ENC 1145-22 Mr.

Fletcher Choosing the Antlers Hospice and The Streets A Grand Dont Come for Free was an act of complete randomness for me. I have never heard of or listened to either of these groups or albums and thats exactly why I chose them, because I wanted something different to write about to have the chance to be unbiased. Due to this I never had the chance to just praise them or write words of hate about them and was therefore given the chance to write down exactly what I felt after listening to the tracks on each album during one sitting. Obviously I chose two different albums to write two different reviews about them therefore not feeling forced to write a review that lasted at least 5 pages if I didnt want to or couldnt. Being completely honest I was scared when I chose Hospice knowing that it was about death and depression for these are two topics I faithfully try to stay away from. Yet as I listened to all of the tracks I realized, one, that yes I will still be staying away from death and depression music and, two, that if I did lean towards these themes then I would have thoroughly enjoyed the since of despair I felt, as well as that feeling of losing a loved one that people can feel when they connect to the characters. I do wish that I could have picked a different album that I may have enjoyed writing about more but I was already in the throes of thinking and writing about the Antlers that I couldnt just stop and change courses. I was referenced to try and listen to another one of this groups albums to see if all of them were death and depression personified or not. Therefore I chose to listen to a few tracks of their album Burst Apart. In truth listening to

another one of their albums didnt change my mind on the group but I was proven that they have the ability to go up and beyond in lyrics and instrumentally. A Grand Dont Come for Free was the second review I wrote and must confess I had more fun with it only because of the fact that I enjoyed listening and spending time on this album. The title at first led me to believe I was about to listen to a big rap album about drugs, hoes and losing money or what-not. Yet, after reading/listening to the tracks I was pleasantly surprised that it wasnt this but instead a story about a mans day and how nothing was going right, at least in his mind but looking at through my eyes he was lucky to lose a girl who was cheating on him. I dont have much to say about this album because I said most of what was on my mind already in the review. The one thing I would like to add here is that I believe people get scared when they hear that Mike Skinner is a British rapper and its not their typical rap like 50 cent or whatever. Therefore I wish, and believe it to be in a persons best interest, that they give The Streets. I had fun writing these reviews and being in the position of a reviewer. I hope that my reviews arent too positive or negative but give my audience a chance to use my opinions and information to come up with their own opinions.

The Antlers: Hospice Rating: 5.6 I myself have always been a more Taylor Swift and Shakira fan, so reviewing The Antlers 2009 concept album Hospice was definitely pushing my limits in a way. The subject, sound and lyrics chosen by these artists were more death and depression than I usually venture, though I didnt personally fall in love with this particular album neither did I abhor it. Choosing the topic of a terminal illness such as cancer was a very bold move because its a topic that if not portrayed correctly, or portrayed in too carless of a manner, could cause more trouble for them than rewards. In my opinion they represented it just right. They displayed not only the politically correct emotions that people expect with this subject, but also those feelings people deny feeling. They were able to achieve this not just with their emotional lyrics, but also their choice of musical instrumentation and tone. Denial, hopefulness, acceptance, hatred, love, melancholy and loneliness are just skimming the top of the multitude of emotions put into this album in every song. The narrative that was used throughout the album was something that I looked very highly upon, for it gave me the chance to develop a bond with the terminally-ill woman and the hospital worker as a listener. In the track Sylvia the man seems to be pleading with his lover to not give up, to not die but even the doctor tells him there really is no chance. Bear also shows these emotions of how the female herself seems to have accepted her fate while the man knows their fucked yet is still in denial of there being no more chances. This group didnt just stop with their story though; they created a world that people who have felt loss before could turn to and drown their sorrows along with the characters themselves. As I myself have lost a few people in my life already I too can connect

with the feelings created and let myself wallow in them when listening. Now this doesnt particularly make me happy for I dislike the sense of sadness I feel and dont like to dwell on it, yet I understand that there are those who appreciate wallowing and hey whatever floats your boat. I must confess that I was thoroughly confused about the name Sylvia coming up within the album (specifically the track titled exactly that) and believed for the longest that this was the name of the mans dying lover. Come to find out that it was in fact a tribute of sorts to the poet Sylvia Path and her suicide. I believe the Antlers used Ms. Path and her suicide in this album about death because the main character, whose body was taken over by cancer, just wanted to give up and thats exactly what Path did. In the end it was my ignorance of who Sylvia Path was and how she died that led to my silly blunder. Though I appreciate the music-filled silences throughout most of the tracks I found the 2.33 track Prologue a tad unnecessary. I understand they were trying to give everyone a look forward as to what their album would be consisting of-morose and melancholic musical tonesbut a whole track dedicated to it, when there is at least 10 more minutes of music-filled silences, was a little overboard in my opinion. My favorite of all the tracks was most definitely the last, Epilogue, for a few reasons. The main one being that when Im reading a story, or in this case listening to lyrics, I like to know the end or where the main characters end up and thats what this song did. Though he is still broken we listen to how he still sees his love in his dreams. My second reason being exactly that; that the artists tell us how his beloved found peace only when she was dreaming and thats how it was for him after she passed; an example being in a part of the lyrics But you return to me at night/just when I think I may have fallen asleep. Therefore

not only were the artists able to have their audiences connecting with the music but their characters did as well. I have recently spent a little of my time listening to a few tracks from another of the Antlers albums, Burst Apart. The two differ in some parts, yet seem very much the same in others. Such as that the sense of loss we experience when listening to Hospice is quite chilling; especially if you personally have ever lost someone close and therefore can completely feel the loss that the singers themselves do. On the other hand there is more of a wistfulness tone and right away acceptance of lost loves (in a few of the tracks) in Burst Apart. Now I wouldnt be so bold as to say that this album differs much in sound to make anyone think that its a different band completely, but it does offer more variety than the depressing and morose tunes (not to mention lyrics) that are in Hospice. Burst Apart may not offer that sense of personal closeness that the other album does, but it does have tracks where some have more of a heavier rock tune to them. Though the singers voice is the same in both; whispering of dragged-out lyrics, like in the song Parentheses. Its my final opinion to the comparison of these two albums that they both helped the Antlers mature, for in Hospice they express how deep they can be and in Burst Apart they show how they can perform a number of styles and it has a superior collection of their flexibility. The vibrant red that graces the back of this album cover is quite befitting to the subject of death because many associate blood with that subject. Two hands reaching out to each other, one with a medical bracelet and the other without, are the only two things adorning the cover. Right here if people have never listened to one of the songs from the album before, then they should be able to gather an idea of what the artists have compiled for them. The Antlers chose

the correct album decorations for their album Hospice because it depicts/foreshadows to what their album consists of. I give many props to the Antlers for being able to make such an album. Their voices were calming (very fitting when dealing with a topic such as cancer) and the music not at all over-bearing, unlike many other artists who dont quite know how to tone it down for whatever the songs subject may be. Overall this album most definitely should boost their career, win them a larger, more appreciative audience and not to mention the big bucks.

The Streets: A Grand Dont Come For Free Rating: 8.3 I must say that before listening to The Streets A Grand Dont Come For Free I was oblivious to the fact that a person with a British accent could do hip-hop/rap so wellwell Mike Skinner proved me wrong! This group chose a somewhat well-used theme in my opinion for a concept album -falling in and out of love- because many songs upon many deal with this exact topic, but I give them props for being able to factor some things into the storyline that heightened my interest more. A wide variety of these ranging from losing money to gambling to going on vacation to drugs and drinking to friendship problems. The instruments and vocal tones (the lead singer Skinners specifically) used in this album were, in my mind, remarkable and I enjoyed listening too. I will let it be known that when

I first heard this was a rap group I was scared (not necessarily shit-less, but scared none the same) because its a pet peeve of mine to waste time listening to music that is incomprehensible. Moving on, they reminded me somewhat of the music by Afro-man that Ive heard; real chill with a smooth voice and without all the over-hyped technology thrown in. It wasnt the normal Eminem or 50 Cent rap that we hear but more alternative rap. I find Skinners music very contemplative in this album, for in each song when you listen or read the lyrics are him being reflective on everything happening during this short period of his life. In Dry Your Eyes for example his persona is spending a lot of time reflecting on his now ex-girlfriend and coping with her breaking up with him. Taken as singles I dont think many people would be able to grip the concept or events happening so its good fortune that all the tracks were compiled into one concept album by the group. From the beginning of this album in It Was Supposed to Be So Easy where the main character goes through a seemingly enough normal day where nothing happens right he continues to meet a girl named Simone and then ends with their break up and finding his lost grand proves the definition of a concept album-being able to be followed as a theme or plot. I really cant say much bad about this album besides the fact that some of the plot is overly-used (as I mentioned before). Continuing the plot and not making it just about a girl and how she broke the guys heart was a good change. One of my favorite, lyrical, parts of this concept album was the artists little reminders of the fact that he is a BRITISH rapper (not including the dead give-away of his voice); for example when he raps that he has to tell mum I wouldnt be back for tea.

At night a man stands alone in a bus stop shelter: this is the image that graces this album cover. This depicts the album in a way that shows you how the character feels alone in his world at his lowest point when hes lost his girlfriend to one of his best friends, cant wash his jeans correctly, has a broken TV, and just everything else that could seem disastrous in the characters mind throughout that day. The artists were clever enough to use their cover in a way to metaphorically portray their concept album. I truly think The Streets did a good job on this album overall. They brought the difference of their voices to the table as well as outdoing themselves with the lyrics that, to me, were not only comical but had more depth instead of just scraping the top of a love gone wrong. Its most definitely an album that can send them to the top of their genre.