“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can." - Herman Melville

I used Melville's classic Moby Dick quote to launch the release of "Grey's End," the second single from Amber Lantern, an album that turned out to be my very own white whale. I've always loved Ishmael describing depression as a "drizzly November in my soul" and, having begun and abandoned Moby Dick many times before finally completing it in the summer of 2018, I had practically memorized his opening monologue. In the middle years of the 2010s, I too felt myself "growing grim about the mouth" and had been struggling hard to get a new project off the ground. Personally, I was in the midst of what I once heard my friend Greg McIntosh describe as "late-onset adulthood," which in my case manifested itself in anxiety attacks and the supreme discomfort that accompanies necessary inner growth. I later described it (to myself) as a period of "punishing self-help." After asking around, I learned that most people do indeed survive their mid-30s and the trick was to just keep going. 
As a songwriter, being honest about my emotional state was paramount, but putting another album of dour "sad bastard music" out into the world didn't appeal to me at all. Although perturbed about the darkness in some of my emerging songs, I dragged myself to the docks and went to sea, adamant I could make a rock album that depicted the soul's turbulent journey, but ultimately landed in safe harbor. The idea of the lantern as a beacon arrived midway through and soon informed the project's entire aesthetic. Vivid colors, jangling guitars, wild patterns, and burbling synths squared off against themes of self-doubt and cynicism, waging little wars that sounded like how I felt. I was acutely aware at the time that this was art-as-therapy and it wasn't lost on me how fortunate I was to have such an outlet at my disposal. Many people never find a way to express their turmoil and that's just heartbreaking. 
Aside from basic drum and guitar tracking at Big Sky Recording and a lone session in a Northville living room, the Battle of Amber Lantern was fought in my home studio in Saline, MI. At times it felt like a frustrating and lonesome endeavor, but no one really makes anything completely alone. Foremost among my shipmates were State Park mainstays Chad Sturdivant and Matt Collar, my lifelong friend Patrick Herek, art genius Jenny Harley, and my ever-patient audio shepherd Geoff Michael.   
Change is hard, growth is essential. I'm learning it still. - TM

Timothy Monger - Amber Lantern
Released: February 2017 / Label: Northern Detective (ND-002)

NOTE: Audio, complete album credits, song-by-song instrumental credits, and lyrics are all available at the Amber Lantern Bandcamp Page.