Antler - Nothing That A Bullet Couldn't Cure

  by Andrew Carver

published: 19 / 8 / 2006

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Review

Small Stone must have upped the A and R budget for their Southern Rock division; along with the Brought Low (reviewed elsewhere) they’ve got two deadly albums of Southern Rock to their credit this month. Like the aforementioned Brought Low, Antler hail from north of the Mason-Dixon Line – Boston, to be precise – but still manage a combination of heavy rock, loud boogie and soulful sounds suitable for pickup truck playing. Antler won props for a self-titled debut that decorated a Southern Rock sound with strategic borrowings from more modern strains of music. They seem to have restrained the urge on album No. 2 to some degree, but there are still a few curveballs. The musicians of Antler quickly establish their own character on ‘Nothing That a Bullet Couldn’t Cure’ by slathering everything in organ. Opener ‘The Gentle Butcher’ has a pace like a dirge, horns and a descending indie rock guitar riff that brings to mind savants of urban decay like Cop Shoot Cop and doomed grunge outfit Alice in Chains. On ‘Behind The Key’ they use echoing electric piano and such querying lyrics as "How do you mess with perception ... what does it mean to be alone with your obsessions?" to create more angst than most of the hairy-chested breed of Southern rockers would probably countenance. Meanwhile those who like big guitars will be more than satisfied with ‘Frozen Over’. However you cut it, ‘Nothing That a Bullet Couldn’t Cure’ is a tasty slice of rock.

Track Listing:-

1 The Gentle Butcher
2 Deep in A Hole
3 A Little Goes A Long Way
4 Behind The Key
5 They Know I'm The One
6 Frozen Over
7 Reminds Me Of A Way
8 Black Eyed Stranger
9 See Me Hang
10 My Favorite Enemy
11 A River Underground