The Lanterns - The Light Has Gone Out

Coinciding with the spectacular release Pointless & the Moon is Cracking, The Lanterns released another fascinating, yet underdeveloped complimentary piece The Light Has Gone Out in the same year, prior to Pointless’ release. Stripping away most of the instrumentation, Mikel opted for a more sombre, moody colloquial in lieu of the mesmerizing colourful pallete of Pointless. While inconsistent in quality, The Light Has Gone Out does contain enough interesting ideas for any fan of the Lanterns to tune in for.

Jesus Save Us, Pt. 2 opens the album with a gorgeous, articulated acoustic soundscape. Both delirious and captivating, it contains a really neat and strange amalgamation of odd strumming and unique instrumentation. Never been heavenbound continues the trend with one incredible atmosphere. The Seunset Of Your Life is cathartic, and an excellent form of expression. Child of Light, Pts. 1 & 2 repeats the opener’s instrumentation in a different key, but the song still stands out. Lastly, while not mastered very well, In the Night When I Called Out to You’s absorbing atmosphere and heartfelt lyrics are enriched by the subtle blend of sampling.

Unfortunately, the longer tracks, such as Lilian / Angel Eyes, tend to waffle, and evidently drag the pacing of the album down unnecessarily so (despite being simultaneously very absorbing instrumentally). The same could be said for Vagabond Child / Our Brother in White. While also being unnecessarily long, it’s far too self-indulgent, with nothing interesting to add that wasn’t covered sonically in the first half of the album. While the gradual incorporation of harrowing synthetics is enthralling, the song waffles far too much. The outro is additional sampling fluff and leads languidly into the the disappointing closer Where We'll Never Grow Old.

The Light Has Gone Out is marred by an inconsistent tracklisting, though the album contains some of The Lanterns’ best work. While it’s not as strong as its counterpart Pointless & the Moon is Cracking, it comes with an easy recommendation to any fan of that album. Mikel should be careful not to unnecessarily drag his pieces out in future, unless of course he can recapture the magic of Bear Creek. Nevertheless, it’s clear The Lanterns’ strong suite is his brilliant vibrant and majestic soundscapes.

Good

Listen to it here:

The Lanterns - The Light Has Gone Out