By Wyatt Sutton
From WCCS
I'll admit it, when most people suggest indie music to listen to or tell me about a new band that they love, I lean back. It's not for any good reason, it's just that indie bands tend to either be really good or, you know, really the other thing. It also always seems that no matter what the band actually sounds like people are going to be really passionate about it and that can be a lot to deal with when you aren't really interested in the music either way. And so I relegated myself to mainstream music and chose not to care about the wide world around me of music that isn't given Grammy nominations or played on the radio because if they these bands were that good then why wouldn't they have either of these?
I was stupid to do think this.
The new album, "Green to Gold" by the band The Antlers is one of the best things I've listened to recently. The ten track album is a combination of interesting and compelling instrumental aspects, moving lyrics, and a laid back sound that seems like the sound track to a indie movie about a meaningful road trip in the best possible sense.
The highlight of the album comes in the song "Wheels Roll Home". The first not totally instrumental track it's a song that will stay in your head for the rest of the day in an album full songs that will stay in your head. Unlike most bands I've listened to recently the driving force behind The Antlers songs is the music itself and how it interacts with the vocals and lyrics. While many songs in the mainstream seem to focus exclusively on the vocal aspects and simply have the music as a sideshow it was finally good to hear something that treated the music as an equal aspect. When these aspects were taken together it truly formed something that was greater than the sum of it's parts.
Although I have yet to listen to any other albums from this indie band, and there are quite a few, I suggest you take a listen to this bands newest album. In a world of streaming where the goal sometimes feels like it's to make the shortest songs possible so that a band can rack up streams make sure to take the time to listen to long tracks on "Green to Gold". You won't regret it.
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