The world around us often seems to move at a breakneck pace. This includes the music industry, where dozens of indistinguishable records are released every week. So sometimes itâs nice to stop and listen to the musical roses.
In this case, Peter Silbermannâs new EP âTranscendless Summerâ is the perfect bouquet to cleanse the metaphorical palate.
âTranscendless Summerâ is a new 20-minute instrumental record from Silberman, the creative mind behind acclaimed indie rock band The Antlers. Itâs a soothing, minimalist affair reportedly recorded over just a single particularly prolific afternoon.
Silberman plays to his strengths on the album, harnessing The Antlers dreamy aesthetic in five concentrated tracks. The Antlersâ discography is filled with works that rely on affecting lyrics that form a clear concept, but this is not the case on Silbermanâs solo EP. âTranscendless Summerâ relies on the nuances within its humble sound to stir feelings within the listener.
The titles of the tracks mirror their contents, relishing in modesty with titles such as âi,â âii,â âiiiâ and so on.
The opening track âiâ is a display of the unobtrusive and often overlooked genre of ambient music. Life is breathed into empty space as the track is illuminated with the long ringing chords of an electric organ. The song is a light and airy eight minutes that shows restraint with itâs production, closing with a roaring wind-like background sound that leads into the next track.
This wind is present throughout most of the EP and provides the background to more obvious instrumentation and loosely wraps each song together with a wispy finesse. Silberman flexes his artistic muscles with these sort of distinctions that end to being the key ingredient to the EPâs allure.
Tracks âiiâ and âiiiâ bring a bit more action to the recordâs atmosphere without ruining the serene, ambient tone already established. On âiiâ an electronic pitter patter enters the scene, bringing to mind the visual of a wayward radio signal bouncing around space. Jangly guitars meander carelessly through âiii.â âivâ returns âTranscendless Summerâ to itâs most simple and mellow form before Silberman chimes in with the only words of the entire record, letting his audience know the show is over with a casual, âUhh yeah, thatâs it.â
âTranscendless Summerâ isnât the busiest EP. It wonât blow the speakers out with large âbass drivenâ beats or stick in the listenersâ heads with a catchy manufactured hook. Its quiet, peaceful, and only 20 minutes long. But that doesnât make it glorified background music.
Listening with an attentive ear lets you appreciate it best. Listeners are able to notice every small sound and are able to let the mind form the imagery and exist in the moment. Sometimes we just need a breath of fresh air.






