Karibow 🇬🇧 Ophelia

Karibow began almost 30 years ago as a one-man project. This German multi-instrumentalist, Oliver Rüsing, still sings and plays most of the tracks himself. ‘Ophelia’ features tien tracks, which explore ways of escaping tragedy without becoming overly emotionally fraught. ‘On Higher Ground’, for example, has an optimistic sound. Oliver says: “Waking up without resentment about yesterday. Looking forward to the new day with positive energy. Learning from the past, getting up and starting afresh. A new day, a higher level”.

Three guest musicians contributed to this album, including Markus Savic. His violin playing merges with the calm music and the “choir” in ‘Overture’. The transition to ‘Ophelia’ is “seamless”. This is about someone who has lost touch with their surroundings and becomes completely lost in his or her own thoughts and feelings. After a quiet instrumental start, various twists follow. Initially, Oliver sings in the quiet section; later, he sings louder. This track (much like Shakespeare’s classic character) has no happy ending.

Every track has a different intro and surprising twists, and ‘Unreal’ is no exception. It tells us that lying and fake news seem to have become the norm. For some, this is a way to escape personal tragedy, ending in self-deception. Others find this a terrible development and absolutely detest this “sham”. After an uptempo section, this track seems to end, but following a rest, there is a short, calmer passage. Moments later, the tempo and volume rise again.
In ‘Down to Earth’, Andy Pendant plays the saxophone. His contribution really comes to the fore during the subdued section. The melody of the catchy parts sticks pleasantly in your head. The vocals in ‘State of Regression’ begin in a calm section. Later, Oliver’s voice changes. The frustrated tone suits the lyrics. In both phases, Oliver manages to convince me. Vocals and music remain in constant harmony. The interplay between the calm and hectical parts is excellent. Just before the end, the hectic pace returns, which suits the sung words; suddenly, it is quiet…

The calm ‘Mercy’ contrasts with ‘State of Regression’, yet they complement each other. The piano playing swirls beautifully through the instrumental section.
In the three-part ‘Icicles’, you shouldn’t take the icicles literally. They represent people who have a “shield around them”. They don’t solve problems, so the ice doesn’t melt.
‘Icicles Part I: The Circle’ begins with a blend of rock and a touch of “Eastern atmospheres”. Before Oliver starts singing, this flows into a calmer section. Several twists and turns follow. A softly played section forms the transition to the calmer ‘Icicles Part II: Peace’, in which Philipp Dauenhauer displays some beautiful guitar playing.
The tempo and volume are higher in ‘Icicles Part III: Out of the Ice’. In a subdued section, you can hear the emotion in Oliver’s voice. His singing becomes more intense, and the music follows. You hear drive, almost despair, in his voice. The guitar playing fades away and flows into (melancholic) piano playing. The ice melts; humans become better people. This final track ends beautifully and quietly.

The complex yet accessible tracks, from intro to outro, have been carefully composed and performed. There are many beautiful details, not all of which you’ll pick up on the first listen, even with headphones.
The man behind Karibow is a versatile singer, multi-instrumentalist, and writes profound lyrics. This jack-of-all-trades has recorded (without AI) almost everything himself and mixed and mastered it beautifully. And he has done that very well again on ‘Ophelia’.

(84/100) (Rockwerk Records)

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Website: Karibow