A bit of a mystery man
Album facts
Release Date: March 10th, 2023
Label: Self released
Tags: Electro Pop, Fonohead, Future Pop, Synth Pop
Discogs: Not yet available
Partially sounds like: Schiller, A Flock of Seagulls, Talk Talk, Camouflage
Final score: 3.5 stars
Strangely enough there is hardly any information to be found about Fonohead when you look him up on the internet. He might cover all of his bases with a presence on all the cool places to check out if you are a music fan: Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, Bandcamp and even a website of his own. But the only thing we learn is that Fonohead is an electronic music artist and producer. Well, I guess he likes his music to speak for him – which it does rather nicely.
'The Captain Reik Diaries' is Fonohead 's fourth album. It was released a little more than a year after his last output, the EP ‘Owner of Cosmos’, which came out in January 2022. The new album is one which takes a while to discover. It reveals itself layer after layer. Each time I listen to it, I discover something new. If you’ll pardon the pun, you could say that each listen lets you dive deeper beneath the surface of pleasant sound.
Ambient soundscapes for seafaring adventurers
When I first heard it, its ambient soundscapes conjured up images of chilled out, lazy summer nights spent in some rooftop bar with a never quite dark city night sky above you and the neon lights, sirens and human noises of the metropolis far beneath. Then I paid more attention to the lyrics and the imagery in my mind changed to rolling waves, windswept beaches, vast oceans and the ominous darkness of the deep sea. Contrary to everything I said, a friend who walked in while I was listening to the album on full blast, asked me, which dark, Depeche-Mode-inspired band this was. I hope, Fonohead takes this as a compliment.
Not quite Depeche Mode
The album starts with ocean sounds, followed by a piano melody designed to lift your spirit. The lyrics are poetic without being complicated. 'Left in silence' is catchy and a great way to begin the journey. Having mentioned the boys from Basildon before, the title of the song reminds me of their ‘Leave in silence’, but this is really as far as the similarities go.
'Run' has a slightly hypnotic feel to it, that is emphasised by the repeated words of the chorus. The precise rhythm and pulsating melody spurs you on, no matter that you are running late.
'Washed Upon Your Shore' starts slow and begins weaving a spheric tapestry of sound. We hear waves softly crashing as the dreamy melody draws us in. The vocals float above, warm and welcoming and you in with the story about a shipwrecked sailor washed up on an unfamiliar shore who is rescued by a mysterious woman, He expresses his tanks in tender words full of wonder and emotion.
'Another Mile' is possibly the track on this album which is most reminiscent of the 80s. Is it the drum sound, the structure of the song, or the mention of fading photographs? Whatever it is, there is a hint of bands like 'A Flock of Seagulls' or 'Talk Talk' in the sound somewhere.
'Mermaid' creates a dreamy vision of a mystical underwater world with more excellent, warm, laid back vocals, oscillating sounds, echo effects and some synthetic strings. The only thing that I find distracting is the monotone drum sound, that in my opinion would have been more at home in a soft rock song.
I am wrapped in the velvet
of your whisper.
Lyrics of 'Mermaid' by 'Fonohead'
'Feeding the Abyss' wakes us from our reverie, our journey picks up speed with an insistent rhythm track and urgent vocals. Here, Fonohead sounds a bit like Marcus Meyn at times, whom we know as singer of 'Camouflage' and 'M. I. N. E'. The dance floor is definitely calling!
Smashing windows, cracking doors
venom claws are scratching floors
Lyrics from 'Feeding the Abyss' by 'Fonohead'
'Kaleidoscoped' keeps you on your feet with a driving beat, throbbing synth and strong melodies. It might be my favourite song on the album. I like the imagery of the lyrics, especially the kaleidoscopic eyes. It makes me think of Alice in Wonderland somehow. Can someone please draw a comic to those lyrics?
'Remember' lets you chill again, with soft sounds, gentle rhythms and matching vocals. Guitars soar, adding drama and scope. Lyrically, it could be a meditation on growing up.
We are back in poppier realms with 'Heading the Sun', which is uplifting and exciting and invokes the feeling of witnessing a beautiful sunrise after a long, dark night.
Reverberating notes and Sci Fi sounds start the mellower 'They Say'. Again the vocals float above everything but here they are sometimes double-tracked and slightly distorted. The soundscapes in the instrumental parts are epic and once more conjure up images from 20.000 Leagues Below the Sea.
Last, but by no means least is 'Sailing Home'. I like the contrast between the rhythm and the piano melody. It's a strong song, one which will stick in your head for a while.
Atmosphere, melody and a touch of melancholy
Melodic, laid-back, atmospheric and slightly futuristic are words I would use to describe the latest offering of 'Fonohead'. Warm soundscapes that allow you to free your mind to dream, without being kitsch or overly sentimental. Interesting, engaging, thoughtful and sometimes poetic lyrics make for more than just background sound and Fonohead's style of singing will be liked by those who don't fancy aggressive shouting or heavily distorted voices with their synth pop.
The cover art is simple but effective, fusing a portrait shot with one of open water. It sums up the album quite well. The electro pop musician and the sea – to very badly paraphrase Ernest Hemingway.
Track by track rating for: Fonohead – The Captain Reik Diaries
