Impermanence (Peter Silberman album)

Impermanence is the debut studio album by Peter Silberman, the frontman of the Brooklyn-based indie rock band The Antlers. The album was released on February 24, 2017, through Anti- and Transgressive Records, following the release of Silberman's 2016 extended play Transcendless Summer.[5]

Impermanence
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2017
StudioPeople Teeth (Saugerties, New York)[1]
GenreSlowcore, ambient, indie rock
Length36:02
LabelAnti-, Transgressive Records
Producer
  • Peter Silberman
  • Nicholas Principe
Peter Silberman chronology
Transcendless Summer
(2016)
Impermanence
(2017)
Singles from Impermanence
  1. "Karuna"
    Released: December 1, 2016[2]
  2. "New York"
    Released: January 11, 2017[3]
  3. "Ahimsa"
    Released: February 17, 2017[4]

Background and recording edit

Work on the album started after Silberman began suffering from tinnitus, hyperacusis, and cochlear hydrops.[6] These hearing impairments began prior to the release of The Antlers' 2014 album Familiars.[7] As the album was written while Silberman regained his hearing, the instrumentation is quiet and muffled akin to the style of ambient music.[8][9][10] The album was written by Silberman between 2013–2016 in Brooklyn, New York; Block Island, Rhode Island; Somers, New York; Woodside, California; Big Sur, California; Portland, Oregon; and Saugerties, New York. It was produced by Silberman and Nicholas Principe, and engineered by Principe at People Teeth in Saugerties. The album also incorporates field recordings of nature from Woodside; Big Sur; and Block Island.[1]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [12]
Clash7/10[13]
Exclaim!8/10[14]
The Guardian     [15]
Mojo     [16]
Pitchfork6.9/10[17]
PopMatters7/10[18]
Record Collector     [19]
Sputnikmusic3.2/5[20]
Uncut8/10[21]

Impermanence was met with a positive critical reception. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 78, based on 17 reviews.[11] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! gave the album an 8 out of 10 rating, writing, "The results show the oft-dramatic vocalist crafting some of his most meditative and emotional songs to date, as the high drama is cleverly delivered through pained phrasings and gently cinematic instrumentation."[14] In a 4 out of 5 star review, Jon Dennis of The Guardian wrote, "His multi-octave voice is as intense as Jeff Buckley's or Anohni's, but it's vulnerable without being precious or cloying."[15] In a 3½ out of 4 star review, Timothy Monger of AllMusic wrote, "From the serene liquidity of "Karuna" to the spatial experimentations of the instrumental title track, Silberman's personal transformations are revealed on this thoughtful and understated debut."[12]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Peter Silberman

No.TitleLength
1."Karuna"8:48
2."New York"3:28
3."Gone Beyond"8:18
4."Maya"5:12
5."Ahimsa"6:57
6."Impermanence"3:19

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from Bandcamp.[1]

  • Peter Silberman – vocals, guitars, Rhodes, pedal steel, accordion, Tibetan bowl, production
  • Nicholas Principe – percussion (on "Karuna", "Gone Beyond", and "Ahimsa"), doo-wop vocals (on "Gone Beyond"), production, engineering
  • Hana Tajima – doo-wop vocals (on "Gone Beyond")
  • Kelly Pratt – flutes (on "New York"), brass (on "New York")
  • Michael Lerner – percussion (on "Gone Beyond")
  • Tim Mislock – guitar (on "Gone Beyond")
  • David Moore – piano (on "Impermanence"), pump organ (on "Impermanence"), farfisa (on "Impermanence")
  • Peter Tullio – Ujjayi breath (on "Karuna" and "Impermenance"), finger snapping (on "Gone Beyond")
  • Andrew Dunn – mixing
  • Joe Lambert – mastering
  • Justin Hollar – photography
  • Zan Goodman – jacket design, art direction

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Impermanence by Peter Silberman". Bandcamp. February 24, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Boilen, Bob (December 1, 2017). "All Songs +1: Peter Silberman On Compassion, Impermanence And Hearing Loss". NPR. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  3. ^ "Peter Silberman video for 'New York'". Transgressive Records. January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Rohrbach, Paul (February 17, 2017). "Let Peter Silberman's "Ahimsa" Calm Your Afternoon". Paste. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Peter Silberman - Impermanence - Album review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "Album Review: Peter Silberman - Impermanence". DrownedInSound. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  7. ^ Hardy, Lauren. "Impermanence". www.undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  8. ^ "Peter Silberman - Impermanence". Clash Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  9. ^ "Peter Silberman - Impermanence | Album Reviews". February 20, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  10. ^ "Peter Silberman: Impermanence review – intimate and intense". the Guardian. February 23, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Impermanence by Peter Silberman Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "Impermanence - Peter Silberman". AllMusic. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Butler, Will (March 6, 2017). "Peter Silberman - Impermanence". Clash. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Sylvester, Daniel (February 22, 2017). "Peter Silberman Impermanence". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Dennis, Jon (February 23, 2017). "Peter Silberman: Impermanence review – intimate and intense". The Guardian. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  16. ^ Aston, Martin (March 2017). "Peter Silberman – Impermanence: Silence is golden for Antlers frontman on first album under his own name". Mojo. No. 280. p. 90.
  17. ^ Cohen, Ian (March 6, 2017). "Peter Silberman: Impermanence Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Schurr, Maria (March 24, 2017). "Peter Silberman: Impermanence". PopMatters. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  19. ^ Buscovic, Alix (February 28, 2017). "Impermanence | Peter Silberman". Record Collector. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  20. ^ Sowing (February 27, 2017). "Review: Peter Silberman - Impermanence". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  21. ^ Thomson, Graeme (March 2017). "Peter Silberman – Impermanence: Gloriously spacious solo debut from the Antlers' mainman". Uncut. No. 238. p. 39.