Lantern
by Hudson Mohawke
  • Record Label: Warp
  • Release Date: Jun 16, 2015
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
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  1. Billboard.com
    Jun 16, 2015
    80
    Lantern is a beautifully restrained--by HudMo standards, that is--concept album that mirrors a full day, yawning awake with palate-clearing drones and ending ecstatically in the wee hours of a club utopia.
  2. Boston Globe
    Jun 15, 2015
    80
    Where “Butter” sounded like he downloaded every idea in his brain into the music, this is more concentrated and immersive; the 13 intricately sculptured songs inform one another and cohere into a complete work.
  3. Q Magazine
    Jun 12, 2015
    80
    It's a dazzling trip. [Jul 2015, p.108]
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  5. The Guardian
    Jun 12, 2015
    80
    There are points on Lantern where you wish he’d give the bloody mindedness a rest. More often, it proves his point: the strange, beguiling sound of man neatly evading whatever pigeonholes he’s been shoved in.
  6. DIY Magazine
    Jun 12, 2015
    80
    Lantern is this duality between experimental and easily-grasped embodied. Unsurprisingly, it is the more left-field elements to the production that are the most intriguing.
  7. Exclaim
    Jun 12, 2015
    80
    Overall, Lantern's a beguiling collection of songs from an artist whose road to success is made better by the number of detours he takes along the way.
  8. Pretty Much Amazing
    Jun 18, 2015
    75
    Where the album certainly succeeds, though, is in its crafting of a colorful, if a tad overlong, mission statement for a producer still only beginning to approach the extent of his potential.
  9. Consequence
    Jun 12, 2015
    75
    The beats are luminous, the melodies enlightening, and, most importantly, the record is guiding a path to much brighter things for the producer.
  10. Pitchfork
    Jun 15, 2015
    74
    Lantern’s risk-taking is daring and giddy, but its favored mode, and Hudson Mohawke’s best, is hooky, crowded, rap-conscious electropop.
  11. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Jun 30, 2015
    70
    Slightly unfocused by design, Lantern broadens HudMo’s repertoire while also reaffirming his status as the premier producer of the sound that brought him to fame.
  12. Uncut
    Jun 22, 2015
    70
    HudMo has toned down the high contrast and adopted a softer, soul/R&B-pop style. [Jul 2015, p.77]
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  13. No Ripcord
    Jun 18, 2015
    70
    It’s refreshing to see an EDM producer balancing his more hedonistic impulses with genuine artistic ambitions, especially when it’s done with such a consistent energy and purpose.
  14. PopMatters
    Jun 16, 2015
    70
    Cleaned up, brightened and simplified, the album is a fine showcase for Mohawke’s preppy sensibilities while remaining a singular, auteuristic remedy to today’s faceless (and toothless) EDM superstars.
  15. Spin
    Jun 16, 2015
    70
    The 14-track effort staggers in its breadth, especially since the album never loses its central through line: his knack for spinning pretty, heavy, and pretty heavy tracks.
  16. AllMusic
    Jun 15, 2015
    70
    A relatively disjointed assembly of tracks seemingly drawn from working folders labeled like "athletic anthems," "theatrical intros and interludes," "almost pop," "space ballads," and "misc."
  17. Resident Advisor
    Jun 18, 2015
    66
    When Lantern hits its high points, it ends up somewhere in the stratosphere. When it falters, it's mostly because it's too ambitious, either thematically, as with the overblown love songs, or technically, as with the roller-coaster sequencing that halts the momentum over and over.
  18. NOW Magazine
    Jun 18, 2015
    60
    The problem is that Birchard spreads himself so thin in his rush to tick off all the stylistic boxes, some songs sputter into half-realized cliché.
  19. The Quietus
    Jun 17, 2015
    60
    Lantern still shows clear signs of the producer attempting to find his feet, if at times faltering.
  20. Rolling Stone
    Jun 16, 2015
    60
    The monster beat shell games of "Scud Books" and "Portrait of Luci" show why his jams are a hip-hop gold standard. The vocal takes impress less decisively.
  21. The Observer (UK)
    Jun 15, 2015
    60
    Although Lantern strains more than a few sinews, trying to show everything Mohawke can do (sensitive soul remakes, apocalyptic digitals) there’s room for raw touches such as Lil Djembe, which recall the trap beats that made HudMo’s name.
  22. Clash Music
    Jul 13, 2015
    50
    We really want to like Lantern for its originality; its bravery and its attempt to grasp a genuine uninhibited euphoria that isn't easy pull off. Sadly it just misses the mark way too often and leaves you with fleeting glimpses of what could have been a very exciting album.
  23. Magnet
    Jul 8, 2015
    40
    Even as it completely eschews Mohawke's maximalist, hyperkinetic style of old for a newfound soft side, Lantern registers as a limp, populist gesture for how ham-fistedly it attempts to reconcile the two. [No. 122, p.57]
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  24. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Jun 16, 2015
    20
    Lantern comes off like Birchard wallowing in an uncharacteristic and blissful tedium.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. ProbMad66
    Jun 14, 2017
    7
    What should a dance album really be? A reminiscence of countless raves from the past? A subtle variety in beats? Hud Mo gives a prettyWhat should a dance album really be? A reminiscence of countless raves from the past? A subtle variety in beats? Hud Mo gives a pretty explicit answer: it should be fun. With endless want of "originality" and "uniqueness" in contemporary music industry most EDM producers focused all of their attention on creating a sound of their own, their trademark. Although the idea by itself isn't that harmful it did bring many problems to the table. People became obsessed with the idea of creating something completely new, which leads us to the present moment, where we already lack decent dance record producers, since there's almost nobody actually looking forward to creating a likable record, but creating a "unique concept" seems like their central idea. Sometimes this notion even leads to the creation of a pseudo-nostalgic album that borrows that originality from the long-gone and very adored culture, that doesn't do much but destroy the appreciation for the genre (I'm not calling names, but everybody knows who I'm talking about).
    And here we have Hudson Mohawke with his little sister humbly and softly pronouncing his stage name at the beginning of the record. An ironic little gesture to oh-so-many DJ's who just love to put their names in their record, screaming them, until you go completely paranoid. But this is different... This is much more personal, sincere, almost like that little whisper in the wind that attracts your attention to something much greater. And it does. The Pan Sonic-ish noise completely surrounds you the next second. But it's almost harmonic, gently guiding you even further, to your first breath. We should all say thank you to Hudson to at least be one of the few EDM producers to actually try to create a conceptual album. It's spiritually, emotionally connected. The album just screams for a genuine little smile, almost a smirk on your face, for you body to smoothly move, following the flow of soul-driven tracks.
    There's so much more to mention about this album, but what I feel many miss in regards to understanding the album, is freedom to move. It IS a dance record after all. Try to shake off the strict attitude of a musical snob and just enjoy the way your body reacts to the almost-perfect production. After all, it cannot be denied. This album does make you want to dance, fully fulfilling its role.    … Full Review »
  2. clem666
    Dec 20, 2021
    8
    This is the first time I listen to one of Hudson Mohawke's albums. I was appalled by this guy's versatility. Even if it rarely leaves theThis is the first time I listen to one of Hudson Mohawke's albums. I was appalled by this guy's versatility. Even if it rarely leaves the electro side, its music remains highly refreshing, intense, unexpected and pure in one of the weirdest ways. He surprisingly manages to fuse both accessible 'mainstream' pop and experimental electro. The progressiveness of each and every track is a sign of true originality and transpires from his desire to constantly renew his music approach. Obviously some of his moves appear to be failed or less rewarding than the rest, as 'Lil Djembe' or 'System'... but I guess the most important is to remember that he tried. However 'Lantern' remains a notable HudMo album paved with a gigantic amount of a rough and touching energy. 'Lantern' can roar as it can observe a resourceful and religious silence.… Full Review »
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