For those seeking the bloodletting catharsis of The Antlers, Impermanence may not be for you. But if you are looking for skillful song craft the likes of which we haven’t experienced in recent memory, give Peter Silberman your hand. He’s got a hell of a journey for you.
Anybody looking for a return either to the thick atmospherics of Burst Apart or the more straightforward pop sensibilities of Hospice is going to be let down, particularly if they aren’t aware of the medical circumstances that were always going to rule that out from the off. For everybody else, Silberman has crafted an enthralling, minimalist mood piece on which the barely-there nature of the instrumentation belies deep nuance and forethought, with tension and insecurity rumbling softly beneath the face-value serenity. Gorgeous.
Impermanence might have started out as a personal project, and it is an economical record consisting of six minimalist tracks, but self and city both run through it, giving a great sense of scale and scope.
In fact, it’s essential. Emphasizing silence as much as sound on Impermanence is Silberman’s way of saying that without the former, the latter is just noise.
This is one of those potentially life-changing albums, with a depth traveling the prism from the physical to the mental to the emotional to the spiritual, but with no heavy hand, just a ton of thought, and a lot of loaded space and not knowing.
In many ways, Impermanence is vintage Silberman, a sullen continuation of his preoccupations with the maudlin and the melancholy. And irrefutable proof that silence is indeed golden.
He possesses both the imagination and the vulnerability to make Impermanence work and — more importantly — to make it matter.
His multi-octave voice is as intense as Jeff Buckley’s or Anohni’s, but it’s vulnerable without being precious or cloying.
Impermanence is a brilliant extension of Silberman’s vulnerable and sincere nature as an artist and it should only ever be experienced in complete silence.
The heights it reaches may not be as dizzying as those on that run of almost perfect Antlers full lengths, but Impermanence works wonderfully as a peaceful protest among louder glitchier new releases.
From the serene liquidity of "Karuna" to the spatial experimentations of the instrumental title track, Silberman's personal transformations are revealed on this thoughtful and understated debut.
Silberman uses the intimacy he’s fostered throughout his songwriting career to take colossally high-concepts and make them feel personable and part of a longer conversation between listener and artist.
It’s a spare album that asks for a lot of patience, if only a fraction of what Silberman needed to rehabilitate his ears in isolation.
This is a transitory album true to its name and its concept, illustrating a challenging but ultimately temporary chapter in Silberman’s life.
"Impermanence" is a beautifully-bare album that uses its minimalist arrangements to great effect, and they act as a textured support for Peter Silberman's hauntingly intimate vocals and outstanding lyrics. The album as a whole doesn't really leave the same impact as a normal Antlers project, though, but it gets away with enough to spare.
Fav Tracks: Ahimsa, Karuna, Gone Beyond, New York
Least Fav Track: Impermanence
Score:
8
Great
A beautiful journey in ambiance and minimalism. Peter Silberman's bare but perfect arrangements are the perfect late night or rainy day album for you to get lost. His guitar playing is simple but just the right amount to carry the songs forward. His incredible falsetto voice immediately grabs you and is captivating throughout the whole album. The bare arrangements allow you to notice each piece of the music and its little intricacies. In a world of too much and lack of subtley, this album is a ... read more
just 6 tracks and the last one is an instrumental but quality throughout, vocally superb as always from the Antlers frontman, exquisite melodies, great lyrics
1 | Karuna 8:48 | |
2 | New York 3:28 | |
3 | Gone Beyond 8:18 | |
4 | Maya 5:12 | |
5 | Ahimsa 6:57 | |
6 | Impermanence 3:19 |
#48 | / | Earbuddy |