photo by g-photography.co.uk
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is a demo entitled This Year
by Lanterns on the Lake.
After going by the name Greenspace, this sextet from Newcastle Upon Tyne decided a name and personnel change was in order before taking on the world. Despite those changes, Lanterns on the Lake very much pick up where Greenspace left off. The lineup consists almost entirely of multi-instrumentalists, all keen on soundtracking your next best dream. The band’s aural landscapes are dominated by the sigh-inducing vocals of Hazel Wilde and decorated with swelling and commanding strings, including cellos, violins, and mandolins among others. These chest-swelling melodies easily live up to the recent comparisons to ambient anomalies the Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil. After listening to this track over and over again for the pure enjoyment of it, I can’t help remembering that this is a demo. In the coming year, remember the name Lanterns on the Lake. If the song’s not enough, perhaps the following video, featuring sub-par sound, will help the process of remembrance:
