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Beings Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

  • Summary: The third full-length release for the British indie rock quartet was produced by band member Paul Gregory.
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Top Track

Through the Cellar Door
So, are we heading outside? It's a victory dance Are you coming now? Now the start is in sight Now history sides with the common man Are you one of... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. 85
    This is an album of sometimes brutal beauty; a risk taken and richly rewarded through a work suggestive of fragility, yet simultaneously attesting to defiance rather than any maudlin self-pity.
  2. Mojo
    Nov 13, 2015
    80
    At their most affecting and cohesive to date. [Dec 2015, p.91]
  3. Nov 13, 2015
    80
    All in all another strong outing from the Newcastle band, it dwells in a cloudy blend of dreams and creeping nightmares, unsettling yet captivating.
  4. Nov 18, 2015
    80
    Listening to Beings though makes one thing abundantly clear: Lanterns on the Lake are one of Britain's most crucial bands of the present moment.
  5. Dec 2, 2015
    80
    The resulting album is one free from distraction, an out-of-body journey best experienced alone, at least at first. Put on your noise canceling headphones, sink into your most comfortable chair, and immerse yourself in this beautiful, otherworldly music.
  6. Dec 14, 2015
    80
    Whether all this is owing to a slight change in line-up (on bass and violin) or just increased confidence, it’s impossible to tell, but whatever the reason, Lanterns On The Lake are shining more brightly.
  7. Q Magazine
    Nov 20, 2015
    60
    If the songs themselves sometimes seem to float by without fully grabbing the attention, when the melodies rise above the textures, as in The Blue Nile-style ache of Send Me Home, Lanterns On The Lake give us a glimpse of what might make them truly special. [Dec 2015, p.109]

See all 11 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Oct 22, 2020
    7
    Beings has a great sound. Not necessarily lots of great songs but definitely lots of good ideas that generally come together to make somethingBeings has a great sound. Not necessarily lots of great songs but definitely lots of good ideas that generally come together to make something attractive to the ear. It's the kind of music that would soundtrack a dream - hard to put a handle on it and at times hard to know if its even really there as it floats in and out of different moods. I don't know of any other outfit that sound like this so full marks for the individuality of "Lanterns on the Lake". The mix of piano and vocals sometimes sounds like they are being worked through during a jamming session giving something that should sound straightforward quite an experimental feel. What really sets the apart though is a great percussion section. The combination of the factors results in a real sense of drama permeating the album. Expand