Summary:The second full-length release for the Scottish electronic producer features guest appearances from Jhené Aiko, Antony, Devaeux, Irfane, Miguel, and Ruckazoid.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.…Expand
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.…Expand
