[04.04] Back in the summer of 2001, I was among the fortunate few who got a chance to see Yo La Tengo perform the score to some of the brilliant underwater short films of director Jean Painlev, whose films span from the 1920s to the 1960s. And, it was a genuine treat to see seahorses and octopi, among many other inhabitants of the sea, seemingly move in accordance to the instrumental genius of one of the royalties of indie rock. It was that day that I developed a renewed appreciation for instrumental rock. My initial appreciation began when I was in high school listening to Joe Satriani, but we won't get into that right now; it's a part of the past I'd rather forget.

These days, I have found quite a few instrumental projects that I sincerely enjoy. With certain music, done right, who needs lyrics? Sometimes it is nice to let your mind work at taking you places without the words to help you along. Lanterna, a solo project of guitarist Henry Frayne, is exemplary of this genre. The third release, Highways, is a collection of soundscapes that take the listener on sonic journeys; where these journeys take them is all subjective to the listener‚s ear, of course. They are greatly textured, ambient pieces, ranging from low to mid tempo, that rely heavily on delayed and ethereal guitar work. Some of the songs would make perfect soundtracks to movies (Lanterna had some music used in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can), documentaries, a cross-country trip, or even for radio shows like NPR's "All Things Considered" (Lanterna‚s music was featured on an "All Things Considered" compilation CD).

Though a lot of experimental instrumental bands seem to want to stay away from typical popular rock formulas, Lanterna's songs, at times, are reminiscent of something that U2 would have done during the Joshua Tree period. For instance, the second track, if I were to describe it in terms of U2 songs, starts off kind of like the beginning of "Where the Streets Have No Name," but continues to unfold and develop to a much deeper extent. Where as U2's song, instrumentally speaking, might have taken you to the East coast from the West, Lanterna's music propels you as far as Eastern Europe. When the album is finished, you may have been around the world several times over without even realizing it. —Matt