Antlerand is the long-running product of some inter-city collaboration and a few unemployment checks along the way. The band started in 2002 as a collaborative effort between Chris Larson (Portland) and Zach Okun (Phoenix). After a successful recording run under the name 'Invisible,' Larson made the move to Phoenix to pursue the band more fervently, luring a drummer along the way, while sharpening his filmmaking skills along the way. The results of Larson's filmmaking is an arrangement of synched video art which accompanies the band's live performances. The sounds heard on 'Branches' is an eclectic mixture of Statistics-bred indie rock, orchestral pop and Tortoise-leaning instrumentation. All at once, the sound of Antlerand can go from soothing to cathartic to empowering, and it goes down smoothly without being too heavy on the sweetness or cuteness factor. This is a more complex version of indie pop; one that was well worth a Portland to Phoenix move. Thankfully, the music of Antlerand is no longer 'Invisible...'
