Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Whilst we may crave for the unique lyric that catches our attention, that one line that wants us to embrace its message and sing its virtue out loud as if it has become a mantra, a modern hymn of rejoice or sorrow filled chant that digs deep into the art of melancholy, it is to the building block of the song, of the album, that allows the listener’s imagination to be encouraged, to be stimulated by the virtue of the complete instrumental curated for maximum thought and confident rhythm of life.
The instrumental is where poetry is conceived, it is the cheer applauded when a young mind can grasp that words can hold meaning in a tune but which the beauty of its passion is already revealed, and in the case of the expertly driven musical mind behind Captain Of The Lost Waves, the Beautiful Ugly is naturally charming and ready to fortify the resolve of the inner soul as it seeks out the listener’s own exacting meaning in the notes gathered together in spirit and union.
Reinvigorated artistically as Trance Portals, the invigorating sounds that are encompassed within the Captain’s new album are doorways to a realm of concentrated passions, and each one has been nurtured, raised and open mindedly supported by a musician who has walked through the most unimaginable pain and come through the other side with insightful and meaningful heart.
What was originally a full album whose lyrics found the nestled heart in a state of glory, the removal of those lyrics is now given its own identity, a twin to whom has found their own voice and found it driven by instrument rather than words.
As the newfound versions of the songs weave their instrumental power, what becomes a truth in Obsidian Whispers, Success In Failure, Gothic Balladeer, A Joyful Disturbance, and Neighbourhood, Beautiful Ugly: Trance Portals in its stripped back elegant form is a masterpiece of delivery, it shows that on occasion, in the right hands, less truly is more; and whilst we may miss the extrovert meaning of words, the subtly of expression is framed with inner depth in its romantic voiceless sentiment.
Captain Of The Lost Waves has sailed into a most unexpected harbour filled with treasure. Ian D. Hall