''Burst Apart'' is the fourth
studio album by
American indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
group
The Antlers. It was released on
Frenchkiss Records
Frenchkiss Records is an independent record label based in New York City. The label was started in 1999 by Syd Butler, bassist and founder of Les Savy Fav. The label's first purpose was to release Les Savy Fav's second album ''The Cat and The Cobr ...
on May 10, 2011 and the day before in the UK / Japan / Europe by
Transgressive Records
Transgressive Records is an independent record label based in London, formed in 2004. Its founders, Tim Dellow and Toby L, first met at a Bloc Party gig organised by Toby's Rockfeedback website.
The label's debut release was "1am" by the Subwa ...
. It began streaming on the
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
website on April 24, 2011. The cover art was designed by Zan Goodman, who also designed the album cover for their previous album, ''
Hospice''.
The track "Parentheses" was released as an iTunes single on April 5, 2011.
iTunes listing for "Parentheses" - Single
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Critical reception
Upon its release, ''Burst Apart'' received highly positive reviews from most critics. It was featured on many best of the year lists of music magazines and was voted album of the year 2011 by Drowned in Sound. It currently holds a score of 81 from review aggregate website Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, indicating "universal acclaim."Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' endorsed it with its "Best New Music" label; reviewer Ian Cohen remarked that although ''Burst Apart'' could not achieve the cult-like following of ''Hospice,'' it is "still tethered to a magnanimity and expressive clarity that makes it almost every bit as devastating."[ Jeremy Aaron of AbsolutePunk said that while the record "marks a move away from the stifling bleakness" of ''Hospice,'' it is still "an incredible sounding album," composed with "breathtaking elegance."]The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' likewise commented on the difference, writing that ''Hospice'' "bummed everyone out--in the best possible way," but that The Antlers were able to create a followup that "easily reaches grand, dramatic heights even while remaining relatively subdued."[
]
Track listing
Personnel
*Peter Silberman: Vocals, lyrics, guitar, mandolin, organ
*Darby Cicci: Synthesizers, electric pianos, organ, bass, vocals, trumpet, banjo
*Michael Lerner: Drums, percussion
*Engineered by Darby Cicci
*Mixed by The Antlers and Dan Seiders
*Mastered by Greg Calbi, Sterling Sound
*Cover design by Zan Goodman
*Cover photo by Justin Hollar
*Additional Design by Zan Goodman, Darby Cicci
References
{{Authority control
2011 albums
The Antlers (band) albums
Frenchkiss Records albums
Transgressive Records albums