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The Antlers - Kettering
The Antlers’ Hospice is solidly leading my favorite albums of 2009. Musically, it’s alternately delicate and furious. Lyrically, the album tells the story of loving someone who is dying. It hit me right in the gut on first listen.
The lilting vocals in this early track are barely a whisper, exposing every breath and hesitation as the narrator begins his story. The feelings of fear and uncertainty, isolation and helplessness of early days in the hospital are so thick, they rise like flood waters as the song builds. Following an instrumental lead-off, Kettering sets the scene for this beautiful and agonizing concept album. It’s not to be missed.
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