science

Hospice (album)

Hospice (album) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hospice (album) rather than just read about it. In short: Hospice is the third studio album by American indie rock band The Antlers, and their first concept album. It was initially self-distributed by the band in March 2009, and was eventually remastered and re-released once they signed to Frenchkiss Records in August of the same year.

Key takeaways

Hospice (album) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hospice (album) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hospice (album) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hospice is the third studio album by American indie rock band The Antlers, and their first concept album. It was initially self-distributed by the band in March 2009, and was eventually remastered and re-released once they signed to Frenchkiss Records in August of the same year.

Concept Set in New York City's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which the second track is named after, Hospice tells the story of a relationship between a hospice worker and a female patient suffering from terminal bone cancer, their ensuing romance, and their slow downward spiral as a result of the woman's traumas, fears, and disease. The story of her deterioration also serves as a metaphor for an abusive relationship. Frontman Peter Silberman has been reluctant to divulge explicit details regarding the meaning of the record, and the extent to which it is autobiographical.

Release Before the release of Hospice, the band recorded and released a 3-song EP titled "New York Hospitals" through their MySpace page in June 2008. While two songs from the EP were covers of songs by Magnetic Fields and Yo La Tengo, the song "Sylvia (An Introduction)" acts as a prologue to the events in Hospice, with the titular character and melody of the song becoming a recurring motif throughout the album. The first single was "Bear", released in April 2009 to promote the self-released version of Hospice. "Two" was the first single released commercially, as a digital download in June 2009. The song's music video features a combination of photography and cutout animation, and was directed by Ethan Segal and Albert Thrower. In the United Kingdom, "Bear" was released on 7-inch vinyl on November 16, 2009, featuring an exclusive remix of "Bear" by Darby Cicci on the B-side. Additionally, an exclusive live recording of "Sylvia" at The Orchard in New York City was released as a download on November 17, 2009. "Sylvia" was issued as the third proper single on March 22, 2010. A music video was produced for the song, directed by Trey Hock, and premiered on the IFC's website on April 15, 2010.

Reissue and 10th anniversary tour On March 8, 2019, The Antlers reissued Hospice via Frenchkiss/Transgressive. The reissue was pressed on double white vinyl and featured updated artwork and packaging from artist Zan Goodman. The same year, The Antlers embarked on a 10th anniversary tour, playing the album in its entirety. However, Silberman's health concerns led them to perform acoustic versions of the songs during intimate shows in smaller venues. These were the band's first live performances since 2015. The tour officially marked the departure of multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci. On February 14, 2025, the band released Hospice at Ten: Live in Chicago, a live album recorded at Thalia Hall in Chicago on April 5 and 6, 2019. It was released exclusively through Bandcamp, as a double LP or digital download.

Reception

The album was released to critical acclaim. Pitchfork endorsed the re-release of Hospice with their "Best New Music" stamp. NPR Music placed the album at number one on their list of the top ten albums of early 2009. At the end of the year, Pitchfork placed it number 37 on their list of the best albums of 2009, praising its "power to emotionally destroy listeners." Beats Per Minute named it the best album of 2009, while Rhapsody deemed it the 24th best album of 2009. It sold 13,000 copies in the United States by October 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Track listing All songs written by Peter Silberman. In the liner notes, all songs are given alternate titles.

Release history

Credits

Personnel Peter Silberman – vocals, guitar, accordion, harmonica, harp, keyboards Darby Cicci – trumpet, bowed banjo Michael Lerner – drums, percussion Justin Stivers – bass Sharon Van Etten – vocals on "Kettering," "Thirteen," "Two," and "Shiva"

Production Recorded at Watcher's Woods, Brooklyn Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound Original release mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk Artwork by Zan Goodman Design by Darby Cicci

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hospice (album)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hospice (album) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hospice (album) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hospice (album) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hospice (album)

In research: Hospice (album) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hospice (album) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hospice (album) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s concept albums, 2009 albums, Albums about death and dying, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hospice (album) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hospice (album) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hospice (album) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hospice (album) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hospice (album) in simple terms?

Why does Hospice (album) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hospice (album)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hospice (album).