Album Review: Captain Naysayer- “Captain Naysayer”

by Maria Rotaru

For starters, Captain Naysayer. It started as a wet dream of Daan (guitar) and Evert (drum) from rockband The DeVilles. They were looking for other musicians to share in an adventure of 70’s inspired rock and roll. Lucky for them, bass player Bazz Bear of Mimi Lebonq liked their way of thinking and joined them in their quest. Young Tom, once a history student from Daan’s class and old-school blues guy, joined them on keyboards. You know how it is: where guitars fail, keys conquer. In need of a voice to represent their groovy tunes, Arthur took the bait. He had to come all the way from Brazil to find some suitable musicians, but for great music, we’re willing to make some miles. Who wouldn’t be, after all?

Right. Now play their EP on Spotify and follow me getting to know it. Though, if you can’t do anything but getting your groove on, I’ll understand. I was there too :).

The sound. I can’t help but notice & praise the strong loud sounds and the mix of high and low notes that can speak through themselves to your unconsciousness. At the end of any song you feel deeply exactly what they wanted you to feel. The album starts with some windy-transcending-hole sound as they take by your everything and put you in their reality. Are you ready to go? This is presented in Black Silhouette, a technique that reminds me of the Tarkowski’s movies where he focuses on view, sounds, the external feeling that makes someone transcend in his mind and perspective. Here, I can say that the rhythm centralized by the Captain Naysayer has the same effect. It relieves powerful feelings that go beyond the average force of receiving and that reflects the story told by the lyrics. If the first melody is an invitation to listen to the album, it also is an introduction to the love story where the you protagonist can be anyone. Also, it can be the moment when you start seeing someone when you barely know them. So, all in all, it’s not really a love song, right? Of course not. For now, at least. I feel that “she” presented here is a hypothetical character, ambiguous enough (“Silhouette”) to reflect any feminine listener or shadow of some boy’s memories. As well she can represent the love of music, the passion & dedication, time & work & self they put into this outstanding EP. Now, Are you ready to go?

I like how Changes starts directly strong & fast, exceptionally rhythmic. Yeah, yes, we weren’t ready for this get-out-of-anonymous-state-and-DANCE song. BUT WE ARE NOW. I like how it speaks about change, being different from the previous one in note’s & melody’s variations, but it is a story continuation where I feel the desire for the other one to change, but she does not so it is sensed frustrations made by increased rhythm and lower notes. An observation here. The first minute reveal to me such a resemblance to some another song from another musician or band. Trust me. I’ve searched for it, but I just can’t remember it. So frustrating, I swear.

I like the rhythm that continues in Vodoo lovin’ . For me, it is one the best songs of the album & I can’t help but listen it on repeat only to enjoy & devore the solist’s impetuous but carefully chosen vocals as well as the drum and guitar mini solos. It is the kind of song that you have to listen to at least twice, one for the potent instrumental and the other one for the vigorous voice and lyrics. These talk about a more differenced (than the first one) obsessed-love story manly based on manipulation. I love the power beyond the meaning, the desperate voice that is slightly turning into an almost scream at the beginning and the notes that goes higher and relieves the dilemma & the frustration of the one that is stuck between love and hate, need of freedom & captivity. I love it. I really think it is my favorite song of the whole album, for now.

As soon as the next song arrives and I look down to my screen, I think “This one must have realized the danger he is into, therefore he free himself. Does he?”. This is I see danger which create from the beginning a prosaic miserable view of acute & both low and high notes “made by smoking gun and T&T” and “tortured mind”. I like how it continues the tough reality from the previous one, but a little more distant. “It is the darkest time”. Oh, yes, IT IS. When wasn’t it?

The next one I am listening to right now (better you do it too, on repeat if you have to) is so much slower in comparison with the last ones. I love how it begins almost sedated and how it increases during the listening and the guitar solo is everything you need. Blue-eyed mask reminds me of the now-fashionable blue mask I wear and I see everyone with because of the pandemic. And I think that this is related to the story told. I sense an almost melancholy & grief after this “blue-eyed mask” which may be a person, the “she” previous talked about. With the freedom comes the unknown, the “what do I do now with my life” kind of feeling. I think this song is more a tribute given to the past, to this person the protagonist escaped from. After you get out from any prison, you miss it a time, right?

And after all these periods, all these ups & downs, at the end of a love, the protagonist comes back to life, he is Living again. I like how it is different from any of the other songs because it begins with the theoretical intention of playing the chords, melody and the pedals all together with a particular focus on the rhythm. And I can say that Captain Naysayer MADE IT. The band comes back to the initial force and vigor, the first get-out-of-anonymous-state-and-DANCE feeling. It is an incredible fast-peace song I love. I can’t tell which is my favorite, this one or the third, Vodoo Lovin’, but I think this happens because both are the peaks of the energy and the intensity of the story.

I love how narrative this album is, which has been done only because of a great talent of transcending words, feelings, situations into notes, rhythm and melody. I like how the story of a great intensity, but manipulative and destructive love is understood not consciously by reading or paying too much attention to the lyrics, but unconsciously through feeling & sensing & perceiving. I will always listen to an incredible band like this that can make me live something I never experienced before without me realizing it. And then to be able to give others some relationship advice.

I strongly recommend you to listen to them in case you haven’t done it by now.