The Antlers and Port St. Willow @ Union Transfer.

October 3, 2012

by gwmiller3

Text by Laura Fanciullacci. Images by Grace Dickinson.

Union Transfer pulled in two great bands on Sunday night with The Antlers headlining to promote the July 24th release of the four-song EP, Undersea. The band was touring throughout the month of September with their fellow New York musicians, Port St. Willow, concluding with their stop in Philly.

The Antlers originated as Peter Silberman’s solo project until he recruited Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci, forming the trio that produced the very popular and widely acclaimed Hospice from 2009. Undersea appears to be the band’s short but admirable attempt to break away from the emotionally complex Hospice world to explore a new sonic abyss.

The venue was packed with devoted fans anxiously awaiting new songs and sounds from Undersea, which they got with the serene “Drift Drive,” a lengthy introduction to the band’s set. A wave of aquatic calm quickly filled the space and hushed the swaying crowd into a silent attentiveness.

Silberman commented on how quiet the mellowed-out crowd seemed but appreciated their gift of silent admiration.

“You guys are sweet,” he said. “A little too sweet.”

Overall The Antlers performance gave a decent variety, alternating between softer jam-session moments, followed by heavy guitar rifts and passionate, yet vulnerable howls from Silberman’s unmistakable falsetto. The band threw in some classics from previous albums too, such as “Kettering” and “Putting the Dog to Sleep,” orchestrating a balance between the new and old that certainly appeased the receptive audience.

Port St. Willow, the music project of Nick Principe, provided a perfectly transcendent compliment to The Antlers. The more experimental, ambient tracks presented a continuous loop of electric wonder, where one was not sure where one song ended and the other began. The band released their debut LP Holiday earlier this year.

The bond between the two bands was apparent when the eager Port St. Willow crew reappeared on stage to supply some backup vocals for the surprisingly charming “Endless Ladder” from Undersea.

The show ended on a bittersweet note as The Antlers finished their encore, remarking how they have enjoyed being in Philly and touring with Port St. Willow, both of which they will miss.