Newer Music:

The Antlers : Green to Gold

Perhaps my most anticipated album of the year so far, Green to Gold by The Antlers finally arrived on
both streaming and vinyl on March 26 th . Originally started as a Peter Silberman solo project, The Antlers
have been one of my favorite below the radar indie bands of the last 10+ years. Silberman joined with
bandmates Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci to record their iconic 2009 album Hospice, considered one of
the best indie albums of the ‘00s decade. They continued their solid work into the 2010s, releasing
fantastic LPs Burst Apart (2011) and Familiars (2014) and the top quality Undersea EP. At their 2010s
peak, The Antlers’ layered and challenging sound was reminiscent of Radiohead circa The Bends or Hail
To The Thief.

On Green to Gold, Silberman and Lerner (Darby Cicci did not appear on the record) employ a more
spacious, leisurely sound with some subtle, delicate jazz and classical elements. I doubt I will ever tire of
the brass instrumentation on album highlight It Is What It Is. This record sounds absolutely amazing on
vinyl—what a sublime pleasure it was to allow myself to be enveloped by this gorgeous music (at high
volume!) on my home hi-fi setup.

I’ve seen The Antlers play live a few times over the years and I desperately hope they are able to tour
this record and properly recreate these soothing sounds. The year is young, but this is already an album
of the year contender.

Standout Tracks: It Is What It Is; Wheels Roll Home; Stubborn Man; Green to Gold; Solstice; Just One
Sec

Real Estate : Half A Human EP

Consistently great New Jersey indie rock stalwarts Real Estate released a surprise EP late last month.
Martin Courtney, Alex Bleeker, and the rest of the crew followed up their great 2020 LP The Main Thing
with a collection of pleasant songs that feature the trademark Real Estate jangle rock sound. I mean it as
sincere complement that it is immediately obvious that these tunes could only be from Real Estate,
amazingly now five full LPs and two EPs into a noteworthy discography.
One of my music fan highlights was spearheading the booking of Real Estate to play a small corporate
gig for an annual conference of the REALTORS® trade association in SLC in 2015. They played a fantastic
show for the 200 conference attendees (and a few of my music-loving friends) down at the State Room.
Great times…

Standout Tracks: Soon; Half a Human; Ribbon; Desire Path; In The Garden

Dry Cleaning : New Long Leg

Dry Cleaning have forced their way into the forefront of the British indie music scene with their brilliant,
brash new album New Long Leg. The debut record from this South London four-piece adds to an already
strong year for British post-punk music with attitude and style. Dry Cleaning sets themselves apart with
the seductive spoken word vocal style of lead singer Florence Shaw. American music critic Steven Hyden
posted on twitter that “The Dry Cleaning record replicates an experience I’ve had many times – seeing a
very hip and buzzy band live and having a very bored-sounding person behind me talking over them.”
For me, Ms. Shaw’s vocal shtick is a charming, fun part of the Dry Cleaning appeal.

Standout Tracks: Scratchcard Lanyard; Strong Feelings; Unsmart Lady; New Long Leg; Leafy

Middle Kids : Today We’re The Greatest

The Australian indie rock trio returned last month with a solid new sophomore record released on
consistently great indie label Domino. With this follow-up to their 2018 debut Lost Friends, Middle Kids
aren’t breaking any new ground. However, the record is noteworthy for the strong vocals of lead singer
Hannah Joy and the strength of lead single R U 4 Me?, one of the catchiest songs of the year so far.
Spotify describes the album as “12 songs that veer from brittle blasts of indie rock to elegiac piano
ballads to pop anthems destined to ignite stadium singalongs.”

Standout Tracks: R U 4 Me?; Today We’re The Greatest; Bad Neighbours; Questions; Stacking Chairs

Throwback Selection:

Pete Yorn : musicforthemorningafter

We recently reached the 20-year anniversary of the release of this phenomenal debut album from
California solo indie rocker Pete Yorn. Yorn has put together a very solid, and a bit underappreciated,
career including several releases where he collaborated with actress Scarlett Johansson. A recent revisit
of this record pleasantly surprised me with not only how great and timeless the album sounds, but with
how strong it is from top to bottom, including a number of excellent singles that are just as compelling
and memorable as ever. I got to see Pete tour this record back in 2001 at the old DV8 club on West
Temple, with beloved Manchester band Elbow as the supporting act.

Standout Tracks: Life On Chain; Strange Condition; For Nancy (‘Cos It Already Is); On Your Side; Closet

More Related Music You Should Also Check Out: Black Country, New Road : Self-Titled; Radiohead :
Hail to the Thief; Martin Courtney : Many Moons ;Scarlett Johansson : Anywhere I Lay My Head