Karaoke Moon (CD)

Exactly two years after ‘Ha Ha Heartbreak’, Warhaus, the solo project of Maarten Devoldere, returns with a fourth studio album ‘Karaoke Moon’. Those who remember the heart-wrenching atmospheres of the previous album will be surprised by the opener of ‘Karaoke Moon’, the first single ‘ Where The Names Are Real’. Devoldere had more than 50 songs on the shelf after two years of disciplined monk-like work. What did the producer say when he submitted those demos? ‘You can do better’. With time, Devoldere has learnt that it pays off to trust the right people, and by right people he means producer Jasper Maekelberg. The two musical soulmates spent nine months together in a close-knit collaboration in an attic studio in Bruges. The result is the most exciting Warhaus album to date. In Karaoke Moon, Warhaus plays with our modern views on masculinity. With subtle humour, he smoothly sidesteps discomfort, poking fun at himself and his kind with double-edged wit. Quite often, it seems like Devoldere is shadowboxing with his own thoughts, juggling the concoctions of his subconscious. But dark soul-searching is not all of it. Evidence of this is the stunner ‘No Surprise’, initially a pumping disco track in the demo version, but transformed by Jasper Maekelberg into a sultry nightclub tune. The contrasts in Karaoke Moon makes this album grow with each listen, seducing the listener to delve deeper, layer after layer, line by line into Warhaus’ unique universe.