you're screaming, and cursing, and angry, and hurting me, and then smiling, and crying, apologizing.

caitlin asked if we could take the kanye hater vibe off the blog as it's clearly a little dated (that is so three weeks ago). to bring this back to recent times in brooklyn, let's check up with the best new music to come out of new york's finest borough: the antlers.

it is understatement to say their sophomore pursuit, hospice, is incredible. a concept album based off the semi-autobiographical experiences of the band's lead singer, peter silberman, tells the story of a man battling a loved one who's battling cancer. considering the record's title, we know she won't make it through the last track.

there are so many falsettos in music these days, so many artists who creep into social isolation and break out with thoughtful work, so many records with the "indie rock" stamp, yet hospice hits a different chord. silberman's words are haunting -- it's all in the details of the story and the honest emotion that takes this album to another place. in "epilogue" he sings:

In a nightmare, I am falling from the ceiling into bed beside you.
You're asleep, I'm screaming, shoving you to try to wake you up.
And like before, you've got no interest in the life you live when you're awake.
Your dreams still follow storylines, like fictions you would make.

So I lie down against your back, until we're both back in the hospital.
But now it's not a cancer ward, we're sleeping in the morgue.
Men and women in blue and white, they are singing all around you,
with heavy shovels holding earth.
You're being buried to you neck.
In that hospital bed, being buried quite alive now.
I'm trying to dig you out but all you want is to be buried there together.

the lyrics could easily be read as prose, which almost seems his intention considering the structure of the album booklet. to accompany the weight of his grief is a voice that simultaneously conveys sadness, anger, and hope.

the impossible task of even penetrating emotions surrounding loss, disease, and watching a loved one die somehow comes together beautifully in hospice. it may leave you feeling shittier than before you gave it a listen, but to feel so much can be beautiful in itself.

my favorite song from the album, "two"