Where sound comes to live

Lanterns on the Lake

Does hard work and persistence pay off? Not that often in the music industry, unless you hail from Newcastle-upon-tyne, are composed of six members and began your pursuit in 2007. Five years ago the ensemble of Lanterns on the Lake formed during a time when the music industry needed a much needed rattle as The Plain White T’s were a force to be reckoned with after “Hey there Delilah” hit number one.

Lucky for all of us, Hazel Wilde, Paul Gregory, Sarah Kemp, Oliver Ketteringham and brothers Adam and Brendan Sykes have since been on a spectacular music journey, releasing two EP’s and most recently their first full length album on label Bella Union titled “Gracious Tide, Take Me Home”. Gracious it is and haunting soulful melodies it does possess. Like a soft and pure pouring liquid seamlessly carving a path, “Gracious Tide, Take Me Home” soothes the surfaces of the auditory canyons it maneuvers to explore. Featured tracks “Ships In The Rain”, “Keep On Trying” and “Lungs Quicken” do not fail to tantalize in their composition, nor in their melted sugar vocals accompanied by rustically chic lyrics. Specifically these hushed and sweetly veiled words from “Ships In the Rain” are the perfect convergence of sweeping impermanence and subtle pensiveness:

 

 

My body’s an anchor
I am lost to the sea
I look to the stars as the waves cover me
It’s a beautiful night to behold
The most beautiful I’ve ever known
Ships in the rain I’ll see you again
Ships in the rain I’ll see you again
Their whistles are blowing
They’re looking for me
Like an orchestra playing as I sink to the deep
But this cold black ocean will know
that this sailor will never come home

 

 

LOTL’s previous EP releases are not to be overlooked as from listening to both you notice an audible maturity that has been refined exquisitely since the bands inception. It’s simply encouraging when a band develops a style because you know they have a goal, a direction and a vision that will hopefully be met with a reality of success and a distinct sound. Many bands never reach this point, but you long for the time they will. I cannot count on fifty hands how many terrific bands that have had the talent to become exceptional, failed in their pursuit. Most bands can’t stick it out, egos, opinions and power struggles devour them. This is ultimately a pity to the consumer as we lose out on experiencing the succession of growth and development of a noise that held promise. However, Lantern On the Lake give reason for us to be optimistic, to keep the faith and to hope that it can be done because they have alone have conquered this obstacle. Their musical endurance has set them on their way and they have produced a record that not only they should be proud of, but one that is magnetic and carries an aura of dazzling dexterity.

Lantern on the Lake have been putting in their due diligence, playing festivals, opening for other bands and now currently headlining their own tour of the UK and Europe. 2007 may not seem like ancient history, but when you are a band comprised of six extraordinary creatives, those sixteen hundred days since you embarked on a path to follow your passion, it can seem like a lifetime. As a listener, we can identify the struggles, heartaches and loss through each songs lyrics, but experiencing these twinges of agony is raw on a daily basis. Nevertheless, life goes on and each patch of difficultly only defines who we are, the music that we make or the music we find. It’s even better when we can find ourselves through music, particularly if it happens to be a gracious tide offering to carry us back home.

Lanterns On The Lake – The Places We Call Home
Lanterns On The Lake – If I’ve Been Unkind
Lanterns On The Lake – I Love You, Sleephead