The Antiques we’re discussing here was a Washington D.C. based trio who existed between 2002-2008 and recorded a small handful of 7” records, cassettes and two LPs on local DIY labels. Awake, the last release by The Antiques, was released in 2008, and following their dissolution members were involved with We Are Hex, Kohoutek, and the always impressive Teething Veils.
This final album starts out with “Blackout,” a fuzzy, crackling, swirling blend of sonic noise that sounds like more of an outro than an intro but sets the cryptic mood well. “The Microphone Died” follows and brings in vocals and percussion, resonating with a hazy post-punk feel complete with eerie organs. The underlying haunting feel carry overs into “The Procession,” which sounds like a blurred out, surreal fairy tale, and similarly, the ever so dreamy “The Time Escapes” keeps the ethereal feel high.
At the midpoint, the pace is picked up with the rapid shuffling of “Faceless Edna,” followed by the softest tune, the whispered “I Know The World Ended Tonight.” The deeper tracks get longer and more involved, as “You/’re Holding My World” is a cinematic, soaring anthem that seems right at home on a soundtrack to a film about the afterlife, and the layered, brooding tones of the eight minute “Paper Lanterns” feels like it should be blaring out of a haunted house. The album ends on the 19-minute title track where sparse keys give way to sonic beauty and an angelic building that climbs into a majestic, ebullient swan song.
Though they were definitely under the radar in the always fertile D.C. punk scene, it’s likely The Antiques will gain more attention in years to come as their dark mix of post-punk, gothic tendencies, and dramatic, artistic rock is a sound gaining more praise as the years pass. Awake is proof that The Antiques were truly ahead of their time.
