The Antlers thrive on change. They have, in a way, been defined by their evolution from Peter Silberman’s folkier solo recordings to a fully-realized band. After only a short period of time, but a comparatively large number of releases, their newest, Hospice, is practically unrecognizable from its predecessors.

Hospice is an unusual record that flows with the pace and structure of a novel. The songs are drenched in a post-rock haze, covering Explosions In The Sky-esque triumph with a shoegaze blanket – all while still retaining the shape and momentum of a pop song.

The vocals remain an important focal point of Hospice – Silberman blends the falsetto of Jeff Buckley & Antony Hegarty with the delivery of Arcade Fire’s Win Butler. Lyrically, Hospice is more literary as Silberman narrates a nightmarish story of illness, dysfunction, death and ultimately liberation – drawing inspiration from the likes of Raymond Carver, Leonard Michaels and Sylvia Plath.

Hospice began as Peter Silberman’s solitary work following a period of social isolation, written during his re-emergence. While initially conceived as Silberman’s project, the recording of Hospice (entirely in his tiny bedroom studio) quickly encapsulated several musicians, two of whom became the permanent collaborative members of The Antlers. Michael Lerner’s hypnotic drumming on Hospice has transformed into something incredibly powerful and epic in live performances, while Darby Cicci’s bowed banjo and trumpet playing have morphed into an ethereal wall of keyboards and synthesizers.

The band self-released Hospice in early March 2009 to overwhelming critical acclaim, including NPR’s All Songs Considered naming the record the best of 2009 thus far, and Pitchfork declaring that, “Even in this bear market, the Antlers' stock is on the rise.”