Captain of the Lost Waves is a nautical themed adventurer, musician and performer and if you would like to find out more about him then check out this interview I did with him by clicking here. I’ve also reviewed his music before and you can check that out here and here.
‘Transient’ opens with a few different audio clips. I particularly liked the ticking clock merging into the core melody for the track. It was done really well and instantly you are caught up in the song. It’s a strong instrumental driven track that opens up ‘Synthesis’ really well.
‘Uniforms’ is a strong track, and despite the order they were posted I reviewed this album after I reviewed Hidden Gems Part II so I was already familiar with this track but I found it to be engrossing both times, also it’s impressive that it manages to fit into both albums easily, without seeming too jarring. It was also a particularly strong track for the other album, so it’s easy to see why it, and two other versions of it were featured on ‘Synthesis’.
‘Danger’ opens with a blaring police siren, that is washed over by a quirky, melody that is just so easy to get into, so fun and well built. I mentioned in Hidden Gems part II that the Captain of the Lost Waves reminds me a little of Steam Powered Giraffe, this song again puts me in mind of them, they deal with things in a similar way I think, although The Captain is still emphatically a very unique performer.
‘January’ is another track featured in Hidden Gems Part II and it works equally well in this album, especially after ‘Danger’ it slows things down just a touch, showing how well The Captain understands pacing and balance in an album.
‘Another Planet’ eases things back up again, it’s not exactly high energy, but it’s vibrant and certainly has the potential to get you moving, it has a unique almost confrontational feel to it, not aggressive, but challenging, and it works really well. I was particularly impressed by The Captain’s vocals on this one as well.
‘Mr Many Men’ opens with a strong powerful vocal section, setting it apart from the other tracks for being one of few which leads in with vocals then has the instruments ease in behind it, rather than the other way about. It’s a nice change, and it really gives his voice a chance to shine.
‘Out West’ opens with a building train noise, that breaks and we are left with a well composed and complex musical section, a rich fusion of instruments that for me was just a treat. Some people don’t like instrumentals but when they are as impressive as this, it’s hard not to like.
‘Uniforms – Darcadian Remix’ completely changes the original, it’s got a harder electronic edge, it’s got a little more fire to it, and the almost echoey quality gives it a dream-like feel that works really well both within the context of the song, as well as setting it apart from the original. As I mentioned up top, I liked the original, both on this album and in Hidden Gems – Part II but this one takes it to a whole new level, it’s easily my favourite on this album.
‘Uniforms Choral’ is another impressive version of the original, managing to be deeply distinct from both other versions on this album, and be engaging as well. It was also a nice, short melodic way to round off this album.
So that’s what I thought about Captain of the Lost Waves Album ‘Synthesis’ and if you want to check that out head on over to Spotify. Make sure and keep up to date with The Captain then follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website.
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