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9.1
66768
9.1 |
A.V. Club
Enveloped in a warm blanket of lush pianos, silky jazz-minded guitars, spacey synthesizers, and melancholic trumpets
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9.0
66791
9.0 |
PopMatters
If you listen to Familiars—and you probably should because it is very great—it is crucial to do so with an open heart and an open head
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9.0
66748
9.0 |
Exclaim
While the Antlers may struggle to escape the shadow of Hospice's success, they have undoubtedly succeeded in making another spectacular, cohesive record
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9.0
66876
9.0 |
The Music
An exquisitely emotional ride that features gorgeous passages of dense noise art
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8.9
67072
8.9 |
Paste Magazine
The album is ultimately the most cathartic and uplifting that songwriter Peter Silberman has crafted
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8.5
66681
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
The sumptuous manner in which Familiars presents its fabulously complex thematic approach is now, beyond any doubt, The Antlers’ trademark
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8.3
66746
8.3 |
Earbuddy
With such gorgeous textures and layers; Familiars is an album which demands time and attention in order for the listener to reap all of it’s rewards
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8.3
66869
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
It’s safe to say that the group has reached a point in their career where they are largely peerless — no one else is making albums that sound like Antlers albums
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8.0
66859
8.0 |
No Ripcord
In some ways, Hospice felt like a one-hit wonder—it sounded like other bands and had the narrative and lyrics that made it seem like nothing would be left afterward. What a pleasure that Familiars is familiar primarily for its quality rather than its qualities
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8.0
66911
8.0 |
The Guardian
Familiars, adds soul to their melancholia, with mournful horns and clipped, Steve Cropper-style guitar figures rather than frantic indie strumming
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8.0
67003
8.0 |
Mojo
Turning agony into something close to ecstasy. Print edition only
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8.0
66773
8.0 |
NME
Familiar, yes, but The Antlers still have some exciting tricks up their sleeves
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8.0
66669
8.0 |
Time Out
The end result is immersive, emotionally involving and (eventually) even uplifting – against all the odds, a treat for long summer evenings
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8.0
66672
8.0 |
Q
It’s a record that demands you get to know it inside out. Print edition only
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8.0
66677
8.0 |
Clash
An album that can make you weepy in the hazy blur of the wee small hours, and euphoric in the fuzzy afternoon sun
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8.0
66714
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
The Antlers offer lush reminders that ridicule is nothing they need to be scared of
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8.0
66721
8.0 |
musicOMH
Poignant, lush and beautifully played, this is another predictably wonderful record from The Antlers
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8.0
66736
8.0 |
DIY
'Familiars' may not be as obviously fervently intense as their previous work but the truth is its emotional weapons have just been wrapped in a beautiful bow
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8.0
66741
8.0 |
All Music
The album's focus on horn arrangements and roomy, dreamlike production gives it a singular feel
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7.8
66820
7.8 |
Pitchfork
The stately beauty of Familiars is the latest satisfying effort from a band that continues to reward those listeners who give them the attention their elegant, secretly weird music deserves
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7.5
66832
7.5 |
Pretty Much Amazing
Sonically, Familiars takes many of its cues from Undersea, diluting the jazzy template that worked dazzlingly as an EP across an entrancing (some might say drowsy) 53-minute runtime
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7.0
66875
7.0 |
The 405
Those willing to spend enough time wrapped in its moody embrace will be rewarded with a quite beautiful experience
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7.0
67193
7.0 |
Loud And Quiet
This is clearly a considered album, an effort to produce a single, almost seamless piece of work
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7.0
66826
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Familiars finds the Antlers on a new, magnificent level of heavy songwriting
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6.0
66780
6.0 |
Under The Radar
While Familiars places a premium on beauty, it doesn't have the illuminating construction of 2011's Burst Apart
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6.0
66696
6.0 |
The Irish Times
As enjoyably low-key as Familiars is, it doesn’t always necessarily lead to a satisfying conclusion
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6.0
66670
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Burst Apart demonstrated that the music was just as important to The Antlers as the haunting subject matter. But Familiars lacks any real musical inventiveness
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6.0
66671
6.0 |
Uncut
Rarely do the Antlers lift out of their wilfully wounded torpor. Print edition only
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6.0
67050
6.0 |
Crack
There’s an impressive depth to the instrumentation on offer, with flurries of piano, currents of sitar, and interjections of string on hand to remind you just how dense each recording really is
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