Give This a Spin - Hospice (The Antlers)

[@shp7536]

Oh boy. This is one of those life changing albums that I can never listen to again.

[@tidyazbo]

I stumbled across this album five years ago when I was in hospital. I was there because I had suffered a viral brain infection that nearly killed me. This was during Covid, and I spent the vast majority of my time in the hospital alone. Given that I’d suffered a viral brain infection, my brain wasn’t functioning properly. In short, I was a bit of a mess, but I didn’t have the cognitive function to acknowledge it. When I listened to this album, it broke me down inside, but I couldn’t stop listening to it alone in that bed. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and immediately put my headphones on to listen to it, with tears streaming down my face. This album struck a chord deep inside me during the darkest, most difficult time in my life - I just didn’t realize it at the time. Unbeknownst to me, this was the first real sign of the struggle that my life would become in the time following this. After my release from the hospital, I struggled with every aspect of life (for context, I didn’t know my wife’s name during the worst of this, and they didn’t think I’d ever be capable of working again). This album became a trigger for memories of that time in the hospital, so I completely boycotted it after leaving, unable to listen to it again. Until now. It randomly came on while I was driving home from work, but this time, I left it on. It was an instant reminder of the power it held over me, and it took me back to my darkest days. The tears came streaming down my face again. It made me realize the power of this album and, more importantly, the beauty of it. Now I can’t stop listening to it again. In awe with it. Fascinated with it once again. I fought through my recovery, and I’m pretty much back to the level of cognitive function I had before all of this. But that phase in my life shaped the entirety of my future self. I’m a very different person than I was before, and the lessons it taught me are invaluable. This album will always be the musical rendition of my life in that hospital - the struggles I went through, and the invaluable lessons I learnt - the contrasting darkness and the beauty, forever intertwined in my memory.

[@905Review]

That is one hell of a story, friend. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but am so glad to hear how far you've come since ❤ and the amount that music (or any other form of art) can impact us is almost astounding

[@HogTime]

I think this album fixed my relationship. Not to be too personal but its really hard to have a functional relationship when you dont know how to function as a person. I was doing a lot of trauma work at the time and finally coming out of a 20 year haze where i wanted to try harder to be good and be accountable for my behavior. When i first heard Hospice i took it very literally, a man loving a dying patient. But the more i listened the more i heard it was about damaged people loving (and slowly killing) each other. She cant love or accept herself and he cant accept that he cant help. As i came to understand this the lyrics hit so hard on behavior from myself and i saw just how much i was hurting people but not trying to take care of and fix myself. It doesn't matter that you're hurting or your childhood was shitty, you cant keep lashing out and not dealing with your shit. You also cant expect or rely on others to save you, because frankly that isnt their job and they cant do the mental work for you. You really have to fucking try to get better and thats the only way to get better. I dont think its like i would have never came to this conclusion myself eventually, more that this album really sat there and said "youre doing this, you're slyvia, please be better" and it woke me up way faster than any therapy or self help books ever could. Its such a beautiful album and im so grateful it exists. I listen to it at least once a month at this point. Its so so powerful. I can definitely see a lot of people relating to the narrator, which i do as well, but relating to the abuser is what helped me the most.

[@leonzill]

I lost my mother to cancer when I was a teenager, a couple years before this album came out. This album resonated a lot with me then because she'd been to hospice and our family had to watch her decline. I took the metaphor on the nose and that was both enough for me and all I could truly understand at the time. Her birthday is soon and something in me pulled me back to this album, 16 years late. It still hits me like a ton of bricks, but now it hits even harder because I can understand the dynamic of the romantic relationship in this album much more. There's a sort of intentionally-muddy melding and switching of viewpoints between Sylvia, her partner, and her hospice nurse that has always fascinated me. The decline from cancer is so lonely and hard and unfair, and Peter Silbermann did an amazing job capturing so many different aspects of that. Such a beautiful and sorrowful piece of work

[@905Review]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I hope you're doing well

[@omkardeshpande8256]

I think we need to put a lot more attention to "two". It really felt like the climax and the point where Silvia is dying and it's a feeling that everything will be alright but no, nothing will be... And the subtle things like "daddy was an asshole, he f-ed you up. He built the gear in your head and now he greases them up"... That is the line focussing on the cause of cancer (cancer runs in genes) and it being a metaphor to how childhood traumas.

[@bgrmoose5997]

Childhood dramas that turned into abuse making her an abuser in her future

[@Noelia768]

I'm so glad Hospice is getting more and more attention. It is one of the most significant albums of my entire life and it's certainly an incredible piece of art in all the possible ways. Great video, I'm subscribing

[@gueneverez]

I agree

[@MisterRawgers]

One of my fav albums of all time, beautifully devastating.

[@Terminalautisim]

In the attic of the universe is actually my favourite album, but everything by the antlers is peak

[@mfcheemz1019]

one of my favorites

[@crateredcallisto2854]

shiva was actually the first song of this album that really hit me and resonated with me. i remember laying in bed at 13 listening to it, just absolutely having a crisis because of it

[@franklinerin5685]

i remember when this album came out and no one could get to the end without having a mental break. Kettering is my fav song to sing. its pure emotion man glad you enjoy it 🙏 amazing art

[@silversteinfan30]

been listening to the album for a bit, a couple times at least. the metaphor for an abusive relationship really blew my mind!

[@Blender_and_Chirp]

This album is so AWESOME! Some of the best tones ever, lots of dark humor and sadness.

[@oleandy]

hospice is my all time album, and although shiva was my introduction- wake must be my favourite. the repetition of don't ever let anyone tell you you deserved that is astounding. though of course, this entire album is extraordinary.

[@omkardeshpande8256]

Ahhh I discovered this band in 2021 for hospice. And the song that I felt was the most climatic was "two". And that still shakes me.

[@gueneverez]

This is the absolute best album ever.

[@Bird-kw1io]

YESSS I love this album so much!!! I used to listen to it at work on repeat 💀

[@905Review]

damn dude, I hope you're okay 😅

[@Bird-kw1io]

HEHE I mean it passed the time for sure, and it was always worth it by the time it got to my favorite track epilogue. I have no regrets >:]

[@ThanksForTheCandy]

I remember getting this album off of Strikegently back in the day (if anyone remembers that site) and it blew my mind. I would just sit in the dark with my headphones on just falling into my bed. Love this LP.

[@losmaeder3214]

this entire album guts me on the regular. it's really nice to see someone talk about it. i enjoyed seeing your thoughts about it, and i think you could explore more of your personal feelings to really dig deep into the empathetic quality of this music among others :] i'm excited to follow and see where you go, man.

[@905Review]

Thanks for the input my friend, I'll try to improve on that in the future!

[@Jules-dx3nu]

My favorite part about this album is the fact that the girl it was “inspired” by knows of it and said something about how it was good. She hurt that man bad! 😅

[@SimplyJoeNathan]

Wow, this is amazing. I was just considering making a video about this record myself when i found this, but i think you nailed it better than i ever could.

[@905Review]

I appreciate it brother, no reason to think you can't put your own spin on it though 👍

[@Wallym0h]

Hospice is my sad album, i come back whenever i need help.

[@TheEspadaNumber4]

i've loved the album since around 2011 and i knew about the whole hospice care thing as its kind of the focus in 90% of the songs, but brother you just opened a whole new perspective for me with it being a metaphor for abusive relationships. i'm abt to talk my roommates ears off abt this one lmao, great review btw and you rated it perfectly

[@905Review]

haha I'm so glad to hear that my friend!

[@efrenuribe748]

I love your review so much just listened to this album the other day and you had a great video on it

[@905Review]

thank you so much for that!

[@DJPandaV]

Kettering is a good but sad song I love uy❤

[@DJPandaV]

Love that song

[@DJPandaV]

It gets me through my troubled life

[@905Review]

hope you're doing okay ❤@@DJPandaV

[@DJPandaV]

I was in car accident once a bad one this song got me through it I stayed in icu for 10 days cut badly and they put tubes in my mouth and had surgery but I'm lucky to be alive

[@DJPandaV]

Everyone in my county prayed for me

[@theo6741]

I’m not familiar with the antlers but I’ll definitely give them a listen after watching this. On a side note it’d be sick to hear your thoughts on kendrick lamar’s good kid maad city

[@905Review]

Right on brother, glad to hear it. And I shall get on that