LANTERNA - Desert Ocean

For ten years now, Lanterna has been the project of one of the most important and least-known guitarists of the American underground: Henry Frayne. A musician who cut his teeth in the '80s, first with the little-known Arms Of Someone New, then with the better-known Area, before finding modest success with The Moon Seven Times in the early '90s. But since 1995, the year Parasol released a collection of Frayne's old cassette recordings, the Illinois guitarist's only activity has been giving life to this highly distinctive instrumental rock project.

To date, Lanterna has released five albums, including the recent “Desert Ocean”. Records that go beyond the usual definitions of rock, ambient, new age, indie, etc. Henry Frayne manages to paint genuine imaginary landscapes, with electric guitars weaving the most seductive melodies heard since the days of the Cocteau Twins, though travelling down dusty, sun-baked American roads instead. Melancholy has always been an essential condition of Lanterna's music, even if on his latest work he seems to have partly had a change of heart.

On “Desert Ocean”, an album conceived and written during a trip Henry took to southern Europe, the melodies seem sunnier than in the past. And the songs' tempos are brisker than ever, driven by Eric Gebow's drumming. “Luminous” opens the album and immediately makes clear that Frayne hasn't lost his touch: the guitar traces iridescent harmonies that smell more of sunshine than rain. The feeling is confirmed by the following “Venture”, where the usual electric guitar is joined by an acoustic that further underscores the song's rustic atmosphere. You can almost picture the wheat fields that inspired Frayne during his trip through Italy and Greece.

“Desert Ocean” doesn't lack more experimental tracks, where Frayne searches for new solutions for his music: as in “Fog”, three breathtaking minutes of morning dew. Less effective is the reverb-drenched jazz of “48th & 8th”, entirely lacking the invigorating force that animates Lanterna's music. The album's closing track is a tribute to Messina, the city whose people and colours bewitched Henry. Lanterna is the best soundtrack you could ask for on a journey.

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01/08/2006