Black Lantern, The: We Know the Future

It's always dangerous to claim that an older band definitely influenced a younger band, especially if there's no connection or, worse, indifference. I've been wrong plenty of times in my own attempts to connect the dots between various bands. In the case of The Black Lantern, though, I'm willing to take another chance at possibly being right. Part of my reasoning here is selfish—you see, I want to connect this band to the classic 90s punk band 7 Year Bitch, an old favorite of mine. Don't worry, I'm not making some cheap connection here by saying that The Black Lantern is just doing 7 Year Bitch kind of stuff all over again. No, my point is that both bands share a fascination with the down-and-dirty side of punk rock; even better, they do it all the while showcasing a strong and unmistakably strong female voice. Whatever the real connection may be between the two bands, the Black Lantern is good like 7 Year Bitch was good.

Here's what you need to know: The Black Lantern is from Long Beach, California, once the home of one of the coolest punk clubs anywhere—Fender's Ballroom. Long gone, that club was once the place where young punks gathered to see the hardcore scene unfold before their eyes. If you were from Southern California during Fender's heyday, you saw the best of punk rock—and, man, it was really good. The Black Lantern are not obviously part of the old Fender's days, but this album nevertheless takes me back to the days when punk felt dangerous, as if it were tapping into the heartbeat of rock and letting lose. The music here is creative chaos, a form of punk rock that remembers when this style used to be dangerous and wild. I don't want to overstate the point; still, it's important to stress that this band does what we all need to do sometimes—let loose, unleash hell.

As for the band, there are four members: Andy Pricket (guitar), Jesse Nason (drums), Wendy Faraone (vocals), and Russell Crain (bass). The music they write sounds like backyard jams done really well. The production is raw and direct, no extras, no gimmicks. I bet they put on a killer show. Check out "Bleed it Out" and "Anthropomancy" and "Everything is Nothing." Not all the songs are equally strong, but when this band is hot, they show signs of having that secret ingredient that makes for a good time. Make sure to check out the cover of Huey Lewis's "New Drug." There's life in those old tunes, friends. So lead the way, Black Lantern. I'll follow you into the future.

Track Listing:
1. A Black Light
2. I Know You Don't Know
3. 5 Alarm
4. Bleed it Out
5. On Your Knees
6. Anthropomancy
7. Helicopter
8. Everything is Nothing
9. New Drug
10. Bombs Away
11. Devolution

Added: February 24th 2015
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Bandcamp Page
Hits: 1975
Language: english

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