Biography
Henry Frayne's Lanterna is the Midwest counterpart to Scenic's Southwest-inspired soundtracks for a lonely journey through open lands. Combining his background in post-punk and dark dream pop with atmospherics drawing from spaghetti western soundtracks and ambient isolationism, Lanterna's mostly instrumental output generates a variety of moods, ranging from becalmed to unsettling to fiery.
Although it wasn't until 1998's self-titled release through Rykodisc that Lanterna received widespread distribution, guitarist Frayne began the project as an alternate outlet outside of his duties in the Moon Seven Times in the early '90s. (Frayne also spent the latter half of the '80s in the 4AD-inspired Area.)
With help from bandmates Brendan Gamble on drums and Lynn Canfield on vocals, Frayne recorded a 23-track cassette and released it himself in 1992. Later that year, the limited-edition Of Shapes That Haunt Thought's Wilderness was released through Greece's Elfish label on vinyl only, selecting most of its tracks from the original cassette; Parasol issued 17 songs from the same recording in 1995 on CD, and Rykodisc reissued the Parasol release in 1998.
A year prior to the Rykodisc reissue, Lanterna and the like-minded Scenic shared a live split EP released on Independent Project, the label run by Scenic's Bruce Licher. New material didn't surface from Lanterna until 2001's Elm Street, issued by Badman during September of 2001.

 

Album Review
Henry Frayne's knack for crafting vast, cinematic instrumentals is once again exemplified on this fantastic effort commencing with the mid-tempo "Luminous," which seems to have a Jeff Beck style to it despite the rhythm guitar leaning toward the Edge circa The Joshua Tree. The song seems to lift off the ground two minutes in and glides brilliantly along while Frayne adds some lean, meticulous solos over the melody. The flow of each song is phenomenal as Lanterna take a softer approach during "Venture," but with the same glorious payoff, this time with a roots, acoustic-oriented mode that shines. And the group also isn't fearful of impeding traditional time limits, moving often beyond five or six minutes without any sort of audible padding or filler. "Summer Break" is a laid-back reflective piece that a guitarist like Mark Knopfler would seek solace and comfort in. Most of these tracks would fit on any credible soundtrack as Lanterna jump headlong into a sparser, darker, and somewhat ominous area for the aptly named "Fog." This style is returned to on the coda "Messina," with more deliberate, David Gilmour-esque precision. It's not exactly eerie, but definitely creates a haunting ambience. While no one track truly stands out above the others, the whispery "48th & 8th," complete with the drum brushing of Eric Gebow, paints a lovely, dreamy, jazz-tinged portrait. Another gem is "Surf," which rides the melody for over six minutes, a gorgeous melody that seems to blend the best of Coldplay and Neil Young's acoustic or country side. This softer, acoustic groove is revisited during "Cross County," with Frayne doing some nice picking. On the whole it is a record that is as vast and agreeable as anything Lanterna has produced or will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burning Up
          Alpinestars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biography
The Manchester duo of Richard Woolgar and Gly Thomas came into being when the promoters of a local club challenged the pair to compose an hour's worth of music. Influenced by New Order and Depeche Mode, the two took the name Alpinestarsfrom Thomas' mountain bike and proceeded to meet the challenge. Not only was the performance a success, but Alpinestars the act quickly released an EP, Less Vegas, in 1999. Within a year, they also issued the subsequent EPs Silicon Chick and Kitzbuhel Weekend, leading up to their debut full-length, B.A.S.I.C, in early 2001. In mid-2002, they released the follow-up, White Noise, which saw a much greater emphasis on vocals and live instrumentation and featured a guest appearance by Placebo singer Brian Molko.

 

 

Album Review
Leaving behind a bit their fascination with Air and expanding past their New Order influence, Alpinestars explore so many inspirations on White Noise that it's almost hard to keep up. Awash in keyboards, electronic gadgets, and traditional instrumentation, the album sounds like it would be just as at home in 2002 as it would in 1992 or even 3002. The keys to the album's success are that Alpinestars hit no wrong notes and that they never take themselves too seriously. Virtually every song displays its inspirations on its sleeve, whether it's the electronic pop and diva vocals of the Electronic sound-alike "Vital Love Disciple," the Camouflage in a blender with Pet Shop Boys dark vibes of "NuSEX City," or the Ian Brown meets electro-clash soul-saving expedition "Snow Patrol (Part 1)." They clearly know when and how to inject variation into the mix, as witnessed by Placebo mainman Brian Moloko's caustic guest vocals about a "carbon kid with a sinister diagram" on "Carbon Kid." The tender acoustic guitars of "Brotherhood" and "New Ice Age" add brittle, beautiful flair to the lush, syrupy keyboard base. Whether subtly throwing Daft Punk-style disco electronica or celebrating love on the sweet bonus track "Partisan Song," Alpinestars always tread far above any sense of kitsch that might attempt to drag them down. The latter song might be the perfect companion to Aim's stunning "The Girl Who Fell Through the Ice." Though the Manchester duo might not be completely on par with the bands they emulate, they more than earn an A for effort while crafting some wonderful melodies along the way. [The two bonus tracks on the Digipak edition make it well worth the extra money.]