BeansterBarnes
Member

***
I'm really disappointed in this effort from BOT as I personally think they've toned down way to much and have sold out to radio.
I'm actually surprised JJJ went anywhere near this as it's to pop and has that samey sound going through out the record.
When I first heard 'Lanterns' I had grave fears I wouldn't enjoy this as much as their previous material and I was right.
The only real highlight is the lead single 'This Fire' but even that is stretching the friendship.
Very average offering for now but i'll let it grow before deciding it's true fate, a poor 3 for now.

bluezombie
Member

*****
A strong album, particularly through the first half. While it's much softer than previous efforts it's still very nicely done.

Hijinx
Member

****
As lame as it may sound, I have to say that seeing this band performing at the AFL Grand Final earlier this year was pretty damn heartwarming. It's pretty crazy to think back 6 years and imagine how far they'd go from there. Then again, considering that they're now down to 2 original members, it's not quite the same band who brought out "Stay" or "Get Out" all those years ago. I still like those songs, but I also like progression.

I had been eagerly following their blog in the leading up to this so I did get an idea of where it was going, which helped in making it seem like a more natural progression (that and releasing an EP shortly before the album too). It's definitely a more spacious album than any of their prior releases, which in theory is right up my alley, although the one problem I can have is that it's not overly rewarding all the way through.

In saying that, I do wonder if perhaps this could end up aging well relatively, because I definitely hear a more mature approach to songwriting; there's no excess and the dreamy textures are nice. I think the one thing in particular I was looking forward to on this album was the big Sigur Rós inspired post-rock epic. I was really pleasantly surprised to see that it did make its way to the album and it's the real highlight for me; I'd be interested to hear more in that vein. After all, this album is made around the idea of rebuilding and starting fresh, so I'm hoping this is the stepping stone to an even better album next time around. 4.1

LIFTER500
Member

*****
While I did like Birds Of Tokyo it wasn't until the 3rd single was released from this album where they were finally able to give me a 6 star track in When The Night Falls Quiet. Despite that there were no other tracks on this album that I would put any higher then 4 stars but most of the tracks on this are good with This Fire and Boy being the only ones I found average. I was torn as to whether I preferred their previous album which had 2 5 star tracks or this which had 1 6 star track and all but 2 of the others were around 3.5 - 4 stars. In the end I think their previous album was overall slightly better I guess. Overall score. 4.7.
Last edited: 09/08/2014 05:15