The Antlers

Familiars

(ANTI-/Transgressive Records)

antlersmusic.com

“Help is just around the corner,” croons the Antlers’ multi-instrumentalist Peter Silberman on the woozy “Doppelganger,” an eerie song that sounds like a Nick Cave track with horns. The tune is just one of many on this terrific release that has a cinematic sound. You can just imagine it playing as another shootout leaves gang members dead in Sons of Anarchy. Silberman adopts a falsetto for the soulful, slight “Director,” a tune that has overtones of the late, great Jeff Buckley. Fleshed out with accordion, harmonica, organ, bowed banjo, trombone and euphonium, the songs here are incredibly intricate and show just how much the band eludes categorization. A certain folk impulse runs through many of the tracks, but the music eludes the genre. This Brooklyn group already has a loyal cult following, and with this fine album, that following is likely to expand.

This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2014.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.