Hospice
by The Antlers
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 157 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 143 out of 157
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 157
  3. Negative: 13 out of 157

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  1. jotaeseche
    Dec 31, 2014
    10
    It's more than a bunch of songs; it's a complete work of art, a story, a life, a new and aural experience. Few albums had such impact in my life so as to change it significantly: Hospice is one of them. It's simply magic.
  2. NathanielT
    Nov 6, 2009
    10
    Sometimes I struggle not to cry when listening to this. Perhaps I'm not so cynical after all, or perhaps this is just incredibly powerful?
  3. DarrenV
    Aug 20, 2009
    9
    Stunningly emotional.
  4. ChrisG
    Aug 20, 2009
    9
    Short on singles, but a profoundly moving and beautiful album with a capital "A." Taken as a set, Hospice is a moving and delicate piece of art. Album of the year so far.
  5. wouldwebealive
    Aug 31, 2009
    9
    First album in months that i find myself repeating over and over again.
  6. alexg
    Aug 30, 2009
    10
    Best album since Radiohead s In Rainbows!
  7. JohnO.
    Apr 13, 2010
    10
    This is one of the best albums I have ever heard.. Brings me to tears. What a great band.
  8. bobj
    Aug 19, 2009
    10
    Best album of 2009.
  9. BillyC.
    Aug 21, 2009
    10
    Easily the best album of 2009 thus far.
  10. pauld
    Aug 25, 2009
    10
    Absolutely stunning album! Better than anything I've heard in years..... a cinch for album of 2009. What a talented band!!!
  11. JamesP.
    Aug 29, 2009
    10
    Currently halfway through this album, and I don't need to finish it to already know 10/10 passion and feeling went straight into this album, followed up with a great sound.
  12. DavidS
    Aug 30, 2009
    10
    I get shivers every time I listen to this album. It is full of emotions, and worth a listen.
  13. Bman
    Sep 1, 2009
    10
    Heartbreaking. Some of the best lyrics I've heard in a while and one of the best albums I've heard this year. Highlights are Atrophy, Bear, Thirteen and Shiva. Gets better every time you listen to it, although first impressions aren't too bad, either.
  14. GoliathR
    Nov 16, 2009
    10
    I can count on my fingers the number of records I can sit down and listen to all the way through repeatedly. Hospice is one of them. Easily my favorite album of 2009. 10 is deserved.
  15. Cribb.
    Nov 5, 2009
    9
    Great album, one of the years best. Full of emotion, raw and powerful. Fantastic for a debut and highly recommended.
  16. charliem
    Nov 5, 2009
    10
    Hands down, favorite album of the decade. No joke. Unbelievably powerful.
  17. jr
    Oct 23, 2009
    10
    We've all been there - illness, mortality, the hospital. Antlers provides an artful portrait.
  18. brenk
    Oct 25, 2009
    10
    I keep listening to this on my ipod, over and over. Its haunting.
  19. SatreN
    Oct 29, 2009
    10
    One of the most powerful and tragic albums I have ever heard, it has this broad scope of melancholy emotions that just brings you to your knees. I think this has to be one of best albums of this decade.
  20. BrianM
    Oct 9, 2009
    10
    On first listen I was only somewhat impressed with album. The real power is in the emotional delivery of the vocals and the weighty lyrics. Death, sickness and loss never felt so beautiful and cathartic. This is probably one of my favorites for the year and certainly has the emotional depth that is missing in most music today.
  21. Davis
    Aug 18, 2009
    10
    Nothing this year comes close to being as powerful as Hospice. Best disc of the year.
  22. a.nony-mous
    Aug 21, 2009
    10
    It's quite a feat to make music that goes from subdued to grandiose without making it sound pretentious. this album is able to walk that line perfectly, drawing a surprisingly wide range of emotions out of the listener. if you like music of this genre, this is definitely one of the top albums of 2009.
  23. PeterK
    Aug 20, 2009
    8
    I've been listening to this for a couple of weeks now and it is very good, particularly when the singer lets fly. Some of the more quiescent moments could have been edited down, but that's quibbling.
  24. KeithW
    Aug 31, 2009
    10
    Breathtaking, touching yet not overdone at all. The singer makes this record one that many can empathise with.
  25. Flubs
    Sep 2, 2009
    8
    Yup, definitely one of the highlights of 2009.
  26. MatheusB.
    Oct 11, 2009
    9
    This album really reaches in and delivers a personal experience that you will be willing to repeat. First listened to it while trying to sleep and kept listening for a whole week. The songs have this calm flow-like feeling so that you don't bother which track you're at while listening to the entire album and keepsyou wondering. My fav. album of 2009 til now.
  27. AdrianC
    Nov 27, 2009
    9
    The union of his clearly and calm voice with the melodies and the history behind the lyrics just gets through all my senses!! After hearing 5 times in a road this album i love it more every time... simply one of this years best albums!!
  28. StephenW.
    Aug 18, 2009
    10
    Amazing.
  29. MattA.
    Aug 19, 2009
    9
    This is a fantastic album. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Black Sheep Boy (or at least they both impacted me in a similar way). Right now I would say Dragonslayer is my album of the year, but this is easily second.
  30. JimmyP
    Aug 19, 2009
    9
    Where the hell did this band come from? Some of the best songs Ive listened to in years.
  31. PhilP.
    Sep 12, 2009
    9
    Absolutely stunning. So many layers of heartbreak, rendered beautifully and delicately.
  32. Gary
    Sep 18, 2009
    10
    A haunting, emotionally draining masterpiece. If 2009 is going to see a better album than Hospice, it had better hurry.
  33. bobj
    Sep 26, 2009
    10
    Best album of 2009.
  34. ChrisK
    Nov 15, 2009
    10
    Sad, touching, beautiful, and occasionally rocking. The best album I've heard this year.
  35. Silverback
    Sep 13, 2010
    9
    Listen to this CD with headphones in the dark. You won't be sorry. It's not a CD that can be sampled or listened to carelessly. It requires a bit of commitment, but the payoff is there.
  36. druss
    Nov 3, 2010
    10
    Incredibly moving. If you really listen to the thing front to back you'd have to have a heart of stone not to well up a bit. The music compliments the words perfectly. A deeply inspired work of art.
  37. Vampire25
    Oct 3, 2012
    9
    This is easily one of the most emotional albums I've ever listened too. The concept of a girl with cancer and an abused relationship is so tightly wound up inside these lyrics that you can't help but become consumed with her, listening to each song eagerly awaiting what happens next. This album spoke to me on a way more personal level, and if that was The Antlers goal, they succeeded.This is easily one of the most emotional albums I've ever listened too. The concept of a girl with cancer and an abused relationship is so tightly wound up inside these lyrics that you can't help but become consumed with her, listening to each song eagerly awaiting what happens next. This album spoke to me on a way more personal level, and if that was The Antlers goal, they succeeded. "Bear" is easily the stand-out track on this LP. All In All, the lyrics on Hospice are gorgeous, the vocals extremely emotional, and the production very subtle, yet so good. A-… Expand
  38. Delta_Spirit
    May 29, 2011
    10
    I heard about The Antlers, because a review had said they were similar to Arcade Fire, so I had to check them out. Turns out they have completely different styles, both of which I love. This album is absolutely stunning, and my favourite track has to be Kettering.
  39. Ricko
    Nov 5, 2011
    8
    At times brilliant at times disjointed (quite likely on purpose). This record takes a bit of work to appreciate and enjoy. Very dark themes (as the title would suggest) mixed with some moments of joy. It's a record that does a good job of capturing the feeling of dealing with everything that comes with having a terminally ill relative. Not a record you'll have blaring in the car as you goAt times brilliant at times disjointed (quite likely on purpose). This record takes a bit of work to appreciate and enjoy. Very dark themes (as the title would suggest) mixed with some moments of joy. It's a record that does a good job of capturing the feeling of dealing with everything that comes with having a terminally ill relative. Not a record you'll have blaring in the car as you go to the beach on a sunny day or as your getting ready to hit the town at the weekend but if your looking for a challenging, emotive album then it's well worth a listen.… Collapse
  40. AnarchistArtist
    Oct 16, 2013
    10
    Haunting, harrowing, and beautiful. It's a stunning concept album that you need to listen to straight through to really appreciate. I've heard varying perspectives on the story it tells, but to me it's about an emotionally abusive relationship in which the narrator tries to hold on to his relationship with a girl struggling to deal with her own possibly trauma-induced emotions. This isHaunting, harrowing, and beautiful. It's a stunning concept album that you need to listen to straight through to really appreciate. I've heard varying perspectives on the story it tells, but to me it's about an emotionally abusive relationship in which the narrator tries to hold on to his relationship with a girl struggling to deal with her own possibly trauma-induced emotions. This is told through an allegory of a hospital worker in a cancer ward who falls in love with a patient whose imminent death is the catalyst for their tumultuous relationship. The two stories blend ethereally together, almost as if drifting in and out of consciously, while other heart-breaking metaphors bleed into the story. The content of the lyrics is intense and the gorgeous, electronic and folk-influenced music creates a dangerous atmosphere that will draw you fully into the words. The album has no "happy" or "light" songs. The first lyrics of the album (in the song "Kettering") are "I wish that I had known in that first minute we met, the unpayable debt that I'd owe you". If you've ever felt pain from a relationship in your life (whether romantic or not) you'll be able to relate to the feelings the narrator displays for us the panic and horror of trying to hold on to something you know won't last, the feeling that your entire being is tearing apart when it ends, and the fear that you may never be the same person again.

    As a side note, it would definitely be helpful to follow along with the lyrics, because often, the narrator sometimes sings in undertones and the words often blend into the music to create that dream-like atmosphere. The downside is that you may miss a lot of the brilliantly poetic lyrics if you don't follow along.    … Expand
  41. Scratch
    Jan 23, 2017
    10
    It's hardly just a musical album. It's hardly just a story. It's hardly anything that you can put your finger on. It transcends those things, bringing you along with it, and grasps to pull everything up that you struggle so hard to keep down. Not only does it make you feel emotions you thought were long lost, it makes you -want- to feel them. There are times where you forget you're evenIt's hardly just a musical album. It's hardly just a story. It's hardly anything that you can put your finger on. It transcends those things, bringing you along with it, and grasps to pull everything up that you struggle so hard to keep down. Not only does it make you feel emotions you thought were long lost, it makes you -want- to feel them. There are times where you forget you're even listening to music, that these are guitars, drums, keyboards, and people making this music and telling you this story. The cleverness behind the two-sided lyrics tells you two stories at once, and once you hit the ending, you'll want more of both.… Expand
  42. jamison_johnson
    May 13, 2014
    10
    This album expresses the roller coaster of sadness, and still makes it sound beautiful. This is a must listen to anyone who likes music, or has feelings.
  43. abnerabner
    Sep 21, 2014
    10
    It's amazing the significance than can be put into an album, and Hospice is the perfect example. It might not be the happiest thing you'll ever hear, but it's certainly worth listening, and arguably the best Antlers allbum there is.
  44. ScottMallon
    Nov 17, 2016
    9
    A band tends to have a hook on your deepest emotions and memories when they know how to restrain from doing too much. This causes you to connect the dots. This album is a drug. It never gives you enough, in the best way possible. This being said, multiple listens are a must. You will be forced to remember the last time you were truly sad and there was nothing you could do about it. YouA band tends to have a hook on your deepest emotions and memories when they know how to restrain from doing too much. This causes you to connect the dots. This album is a drug. It never gives you enough, in the best way possible. This being said, multiple listens are a must. You will be forced to remember the last time you were truly sad and there was nothing you could do about it. You will become filled with an emotion that seems foreign, yet familiar. In a sense, this album forces you to remember the lowest points of your life that maybe you've forgotten about, due to convenience. It seems to go back to your past, find you at your most fragile and vulnerable state, and the album tells you "it's ok."… Expand
  45. remijn
    Jun 18, 2017
    9
    while listening to this album, I felt something that I want to feel while listening to any album. I felt like the music knew what it was doing. It felt like the music was a sad and old guy with a lantern, who led me through the dark forest of his thoughts, sometimes taking a road I wouldn't expect him to go on but always deserving my trust. You could just listen to this album and let thewhile listening to this album, I felt something that I want to feel while listening to any album. I felt like the music knew what it was doing. It felt like the music was a sad and old guy with a lantern, who led me through the dark forest of his thoughts, sometimes taking a road I wouldn't expect him to go on but always deserving my trust. You could just listen to this album and let the music take you on a gloomy, melancholic adventure. Although I get why there's comments about the overwhelming sadness of this record, there's no point in denying the writing skills and the noticeable musical talent the antlers have.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best Album of 2009
24
#24 Most Discussed Album of 2009
35
#35 Most Shared Album of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Delusions of Adequacy
    90
    This quintet of musicians are making a name for themselves and with Hospice, they have remarkably made one of 2009’s best albums.
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  2. Lost At Sea
    100
    Hospice sits squarely in this camp, a heartbreaking aural experience that hits us on a deeper level.
    Read full review
  3. NOW Magazine
    80
    Hospice isn’t uplifting or hopeful; it explores themes of dejection through delicate, beautiful sounds.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »