Based out of Oak Creek, CO, Liar’s Lantern is a recording project founded by Robert Fitzhugh (a rather prolific artist.) Liar’s Lantern has already released three albums of original musical compositions: Aphelion in July of 2016, Walk This Road With Me in March of 2017, and most recently…Petrichor in September of 2017. Normally, I would chronicle the artists musical and artistic progression through the different albums, but this represents a difficult task with Liar’s Lantern, because all three of the albums are very good.
Let’s take them one at a time. Aphelion is a groovy, indie alternative effort. The music is particularly soulful, which seems appropriate with the song titles referencing things like “metempsychosis” and “anamnesis.” I was quite fond of the tone on the guitars on this album, which offer a delicate balance of subtle twang and mild crunch. I know how difficult it can be to achieve the desired guitar tone one is looking for. It can take years of experimenting and buying, selling and trading different gear. On Aphelion, Liar’s Lantern has gotten the right sound and makes it looks easy and effortless. The lyrics often seem melancholy, but the songs still manage to be bright and uplifting somehow.
The middle child album is “Walk This Road With Me.” As the title suggests, it is less meditative reflection and takes the listener on more of a mental journey. Songs like Autumn Mountain and Mariner’s Curse connect with the listener and offer such a vivid experience, that you almost feel like you’re part of a remote viewing experiment. Another thing I noticed was the guitars have less of the rhythmic groove style on this album and slightly more of a “chimey” tone, seeming to emanate from a passionately well played acoustic guitar. Just when I thought I had picked what would be my favorite song on the album, I’d listen to another one and think, “Well gee, that’s a pretty great jam, too.” I have to say that i was most impressed by the track “Aokigahara – Three Apologies,” as it seemed the most epic and was creatively structured.
The latest release is the third album, “Petrichor.” (Note: I listened to each of these albums in the order they were created to get a sense of the artist’s progression and direction.) It would be a tall order to improve on the first two albums, which strike me as polished and professional, but one thing Petrichor does demonstrate is some added complexity to the songs. They are just slightly fuller and richer than those on the first two albums. Additionally, the melodies and instrumental combinations are much more intricate and detailed. A good example of this is “Little North Mountain,” a beautifully composed production that would seem right at home on the soundtrack of an academy award winning nature film. The tracks on Petrichor often synergistically combine the best musical elements of Aphelion and Walk This Road With Me. One thing I haven’t talked about much are the vocals. I haven’t had much to say for them, because they speak for themselves. The singer is highly capable and performs emotively. He doesn’t overwhelm you with his singing either and often chooses to let his voice take a backseat in the mix to the other instruments.
Having released three high quality albums within the timespan of less than two years, I fully expect Liar’s Lantern to keep producing new music, and I hope they do.
For more info:
http://www.liarslantern.com/
http://www.facebook.com/LiarsLanternMusic/
https://soundcloud.com/user-104166932
