LANTERNA
Elm Street (Badman)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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It took several years for Henry Frayne's first Lanterna release to make its way from limited edition cassette to the 1998 Rykodisc photo-book that it became, so a three year wait for another Lanterna CD isn't surprising. For fans of Frayne's atmospheric guitar and ethereal compost ions, though, it might seem like a long time. Happily, it's worth the wait.

"Ambient" might be the most convenient label to slap on this music. It might even be the most accurate, but it's also inadequate. Frayne takes simple ideas, weaves and layers them, and achieves a sound that doesn't in any respect say "one-man band." (Which isn't precisely true, at any rate. Drummer Colin Koteles adds his percussive flourishes to a pair of tracks.) It's mood music, but not in a way that limits the mood you need to be in to enjoy it. It's background music, but it has a complexity that can be totally engaging. It's completely accessible and just as completely beyond category.

It might be three years till the next one. Or not. Or more. Don't wait.

Track List:
Elm Street * B Minor * Thirty * Departures * Old Seattle * Wolves * Smoke * Saturn's Rings * New Moon * Glass * Dog Days

© 2001 - Shaun Dale