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Captain of the Lost Waves — Rainy Day Confessions
(Bandcamp no#, 2025, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-09-15

Rainy Day Confessions Cover art

Everyone’s favorite seafaring troubadour is back with another full album, a mix of songs released as singles between mid-2024 and early 2025, plus several new tunes, recorded in a similar unplugged style as his previous set, Beautiful Ugly, perhaps even leaner on the arrangements, with acoustic and electric guitars, bouzouki, some synthesizer, and layered voices predominant in the mix of most of these pieces, the leaner arrangements giving more space for the Captain’s vocals and thoughtful lyrics. It opens with the title track, a wonderfully arranged heartfelt piece that sets the stage for everything that follows, including the new tune “Ashes to Ashes,” which is second up with its interesting lyric “Ashes to ashes / funk to funky / we know Major Tom's a junkie / strung out in heaven's high / hitting an all-time low / Time and again I tell myself I'll stay clean tonight,” with effected piano beefing up the refrain, referencing David Bowie’s hit in the midst of an original song. “Beggars in the Shadows” is another new tune, mostly acoustic guitar and zouk behind the vocals, though with subtlely applied choral voices backing some of the parts for a beautiful effect. “Angel” ticks up the energy level in a similar style, with those haunting voices filling in the background for a powerful result, somewhat reminiscent of early Wakeman-era Strawbs. “Muhammad Ali in His Heyday” is the last of the new tunes, beginning with solo vocals for the first verse before instruments join in after the first minute or so. Those join the previously released “Circles,” “Limbo Dance,” “No Protocol,” and the stunning closer “A New Day” with its full arrangement of strings, synth, and voices along with guitars and bouzouki. All of these songs are nothing short of exceptional, and mark a giant step in the Captain’s new, more folky and unplugged canon.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Captain of the Lost Waves

More info
http://captainofthelostwaves.bandcamp.com/album/rainy-day-confessions

 

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