Artist: Morphose
Title: The Open Shutter
Genre: Electro Pop / Indie Pop
Release Date: 13th October 2023
Label: Infacted Recordings & METAMORPHOSE
Album Review
The word “Morphose” (morphosis) originates from late Greek “morphosis”, meaning “form design”. Musician, composer, and producer Christoph Schauer had long harboured the desire to create an electronic project that evolves, changes and designs itself under the influence of various external artist. With MORPHOSE, this dream became a reality. The project’s story began around 2014 when Christoph experimented with different musicians in a flexible line-up, conducting several rehearsal concerts. On 31st October 2014, the first creation, ‘The Inexplicable Lightness of the Dark’ was released. Dynamic, intense, and highly vivid, each track describes a self-contained short film. The characteristic, atmospheric, and intricate soundscapes of MORPHOSE resemble more of a soundtrack than popular Electronic Independent music. And that’s no coincidence.
Christoph Schauer, born in Hannover in 1973, has been composing and producing music for national and international film and television productions since 2008. The now Berlin-based musician has achieved significant success in his endeavours. In 2021, he received the award for Best Music at the International Documentary Film Festival Munich for his work on the documentary film ‘Soldaten’. His contribution to the TV series ‘Sløborn’ also earned him a nomination for Best Fiction Music at the German Television Awards in 2021, shared with Max Filges. In September 2023, Christoph and Max took home this award for their music in the TV series ‘Höllgrund’.
But let’s get back to MORPHOSE. In 2014, the musician lacked the suitable environment and network to further develop the project. Alongside Arc Morten, with whom he had previously played in the Electro-Rock formation LEM, Christoph co-founds CYTO. Together, they release several singles and, in 2019, the second EP ‘Animatter’. The duo also performs various live gigs, including as support for NEUROTICFISH. In 2021, it’s time to revive MORPHOSE. Arc Morten is, of course, back in the game for the continuation of the project. On 21st October 2022, it finally happens. ‘The Inexplicable Darkness of Light’ is released, featuring six songs with Sascha Mario Klein (NEUROTICFISH), Viktorija Kukule, and Lennart A. Salomon (SONO). The release is celebrated with a concert at SubKultur Hannover, where all the involved musicians (including Marius Lürig on drums) share the stage for the first time. Well, not entirely. Due to illness, Lennart can’t perform live, so his part is played via tape and video.
The response to ‘The Inexplicable Darkness of Light’ and to the release show affirm Christoph’s efforts and bring the necessary attention to the project, attracting more musicians. Thus, MORPHOSE continues, crafting its own soundtrack. For the sequel, Sven Friedrich (SOLAR FAKE, ZERAPHINE), Christian Schottstätt (FORCED TO MODE, PART) and, recently, Max Filges have joined the team. What makes MORPHOSE special to me is the collaboration of highly diverse artists. The “guest singers” aren’t merely interpreters lending their voice to a finished song. Each of them injects their thoughts, feelings, and personality into the project through their own lyrics and vocal lines. The songs evolve into a complete picture and an individual artwork during the production process. This applies not only to the vocalists but also to the instrumentalists. Marius Lürig adds depth and dynamism to the sound structures with drum parts recorded for each song, making the sounds even more energetic and powerful. Max Filges has recently become part of the production team and the permanent live ensemble. We’ll surely witness his influence on MORPHOSE’s future sound in the next release. The MORPHOSE has only just begun, and I’m eager to see where the project will evolve and what the future holds for MORPHOSE and for us.
Let’s now take a unique look at the world together. A gaze through ‘The Open Shutter’ of MORPHOSE. This motif is openly expressed in the album title and logo, as well as in the title track ‘Open Shutter’, but also less conspicuously between the lines of the other pieces. With a total length of just under 44 minutes and 10 tracks, ‘The Open Shutter’ is a compact, dynamic, bold album with high density, yet it also offers many subtle nuances, making it extremely versatile. Musically intricate, featuring expansive synthetic soundscapes complemented by real drums, bass, and guitar lines, the tracks develop an eerie depth with a high level of recognizability. This is achieved even though each vocalist imparts a highly individual perspective to the respective songs through their distinctive voice and their own view through ‘The Open Shutter’.
Already ‘Open Shutter’ is special in many ways. Firstly, Christoph indulges in an over three-and-a-half-minute intro for the album opener. In the age of Spotify and similar platforms, with the attention span of many listeners not extending beyond that of third-graders, I find this remarkably bold. The intro begins very quietly and unassuming. If you allow yourself to embrace it, you are gently and smoothly carried into the song and the album. Like the sun rising slowly over the sea on a cool autumn morning, gaining strength, ‘Open Shutter’ builds energy and radiance, note by note. “Another light in greenish dark blue / Slightly focusing the / sadness in you / Your horizon, your horizon...” - with these lines and a gentle voice, Arc Morten captures the melancholic mood of the song. The second verse further extends the tension until, after about 5 minutes, the mist is torn to shreds by the onset of guitars and drums, and the clear, powerful voice of Lennart A. Salomon. “When you leave the dark of night / Forced into the light / Stumble and shutter / Open shutter...” - Lennart’s entrance unexpectedly turns the song into a duet, undergoing a morphosis from an introspective vulnerability to an (perhaps unintentionally) ruthless openness, where there are no more secrets, no hiding. Originally not planned as a duet, Morten’s verses and Lennart’s refrain seamlessly come together at the end to form a perfect whole.
‘Control’ begins almost minimalist. Aggressive, driving drums and Arc’s almost monotonous singing convey a sense of being propelled and a certain indifference. And then everything seems to burst out of Morten. “I don’t crave this kinda role / I won’t use this anymore / I can’t save my part in yours / I can’t help myself” he hurls at us, almost desperate, then almost resignedly acknowledging, “Oh life - I’m wasting time and waiting for tomorrow”. After the second verse, a second emotional outburst awaits us, also in a musical sense, as could have been expected from CYTO. Incredibly deep, full of energy and emotion, ‘Control’ plunges us into the abyss.
‘Sounio’ confronts this feeling of hopelessness and resignation with a lightness and positive energy that effortlessly brings us back to the surface, allowing us to draw new hope. The place at the southernmost tip of Attica, just over an hour’s drive from Athens, can be reached via National Road 91 along the west coast of Attica. Christoph is a regular visitor to Greece, especially in the area around Athens. At some point in 2021, his path led him exactly along this coastal road from Athens to Sounio. Due to many changes in his life, it was a very intense and beautiful car ride with positive thoughts and impressions. Out of this feeling, ‘Sounio’ was born. Thus, the most personal song on ‘The Open Shutter’ conveys an inner calm and hope but also a deep longing, beautifully portrayed by Lennart with his vocals and lyrics. “I could never leave without a trace / You will never lie on my face / There is a connection that is thicker than blood / I know this more than just a phase / Never-ending love in this place / Even though the darker side will always take its toll”. For me, it’s the catchiest song on the album with a great potential for being stuck in your head. In any case, I haven’t been able to get the chorus out of my mind for over two weeks. The video for ‘Sounio’, released on 12th October, captures the essence of the song very well and, by the way, was already shot on location in March.
And then comes ‘All Comes Back To You’, the first contribution from Sven Friedrich and the first single release. We’ve already delved into the song musically, which you can read about here. And you’ve also had ample opportunity to engage with the song since May. In any case, ‘The Open Shutter’ picks up speed again with ‘All Comes Back To You’ and delivers, almost incidentally, a solid dancefloor hit. Here comes ‘Intermediate Screen’, just in time to clear your head and regulate your pulse back to normal. It’s best to lean back, close your eyes, and let the music create its own images. The track indeed has something meditative about it and wonderfully transitions into the second half of the album, which dares to take a female perspective through ‘The Open Shutter’.
The atmospheric synth lines of ‘Patronize’, reinforced by driving drum beats, gain additional depth during the chorus with pithy guitar riffs. Accompanied by Viktorija Kukule’s expressive voice that touches the innermost emotions, the song creeps under the skin and into the ear, evoking a deep sense of longing and inner conflict. “It took you quite a while to get to know me better / Behind inviting smile I’ve hidden sharpened truth / It’s not like I don’t know why does it really matter / That every time I try I’m bound to lose control” Yet, Viktorija also instils courage. The courage to recognize yourself, accept your identity, break free, and stand up for yourself.
In ‘Matilda Effect’, Christian Schottstädt critically looks through ‘The Open Shutter’ at the world of science, particularly its female side. Scientific achievements have often been attributed primarily to well-known men in the past. Contributions from women were frequently invisible, forgotten, excluded, and ignored. Their work was not uncommonly attributed to their male relatives, husbands, or colleagues. The systematic discrimination of women in society, especially in science, even has a name. The ‘Matilda Effect’ was named after the American women’s rights activist Matilda Joslyn Gage, who had already described the phenomenon in general terms at the end of the 19th century. Christian found the numerous examples from history so alarming and the term ‘Matilda Effect’ simultaneously so graceful and apt that he absolutely wanted to create a song text or something similar from it.
The perfect opportunity arose when Christoph asked if they wanted to collaborate on something. Christian wrote the lyrics, which were translated into English with the help of Alexander Leonard Donat. He arranged Christoph´s multitrack, and in collaboration with the lyrics, developed the vocal melodies. The result is an appeal for change, packaged in a fantastic, danceable Pop song with depth, a bold, intelligent text, a wonderful vocal melody, and a hook that doesn’t let go. “Oh, let’s end this unjust path / According to law and justice / For truth and recognition / Full of pride and dignity / In the name of women / In the name of mankind / It’s time to break the cycle / It’s time to rise / From now on, forever / Forever and ever / Let’s demand a change”
‘Disappointing’ delivers another catchy, more Pop-oriented song without becoming cheesy. Intense, captivating, crisp, and anything but disappointing. “Under the darkest stars / You try to find a light / Guiding you out of here / To a place you’ll be alright” It’s Sven Friedrich as we know and love him. ‘Disappointing’ has all that we can expect from a good Pop song: catchy synth lines, driving guitars and drums, and a beautiful, memorable chorus.
‘Undertow’ starts with an uncompromising bassline. The incoming drums and Sascha’s penetrating, compelling, almost anxiously effective vocals convey a sense of restlessness and pressure. “I’m under the gun. / Nowhere to run. / Nowhere to hide from this ritual.” And then the guitar almost hypnotically pulls you into the undertow. There is no escape. We are caught in the vortex and are drawn deeper and deeper. “I’ll go with the flow of the undertow. / I let myself disappear silently. / I’ll go with the flow of the undertow.” A short, crisp song that gives us no time to think, no time to breathe, until, after just about 3 minutes, we are finally rescued from the nightmare. Originally, the song was almost two minutes longer. Those who heard the track at the Bergfest in June might remember. There, the longer version with the complete lyrics was played. Christoph spontaneously trimmed it during the production process, adding even more intensity and density to the track. I am curious to know if the longer version will be released someday and which variation we will hear at the upcoming release concerts.
And then the shutter is closed. The stage of life is silent, time is running out. Arc Morten lets us stand exposed and hopeless in the fading light. “A slice of life / The quiet stage / Taking off my face / ... / Shades of grey / The darkest day / And I lose my way” With ‘Closed Shutter’ the circle completes itself from the opener. In the end the ‘Open Shutter’ motif repeats in a modified form, lending a tiny glimmer of hope to the melancholic sound, reverberating like a faint echo.
‘The Open Shutter’ ranks very high on my list of the best Electro/ Indie-Pop releases of the year and is definitely already among my top three favourites. Complex, atmospheric soundscapes without being too cerebral. Emotionally intelligent lyrics with depth. Intense, heartfelt melodies combined with uncompromisingly driving beats. Fantastic voices with a lot of recognition value and expression. An exceptional album that touches you at the core. The album is available as a digital download since 13th October 2023 on BandCamp or the or on the usual download platforms. It will be available as an audio CD on 27th October 2023 limited to 300 pieces on Bandcamp or at one of the upcoming release shows:
27.10.23 – Oberhausen / Kulttempel
28.10.23 – Rüsselsheim / Das Rind
25.11.23 – Hanover / SubKultur
09.12.23 – Hamburg / Markthalle
Tracklist
01. The Open Shutter (feat. Arc Morten, Lennart A. Salomon)
02. Control (feat. Arc Morten)
03. Sounio (feat. Lennart A. Salomon)
04. All Comes Back To You (feat. Sven Friedrich)
05. Intermediate Screen
06. Patronize (feat. Viktorija Kukule)
07. Matilda Effect (feat. Christian Schottstädt)
08. Disappointing (feat. Sven Friedrich)
09. Undertow (feat. Sascha Klein)
10. Closed Shutter (feat. Arc Morten)
Line-up
Christoph Schauer - Songwriting, music, production
Arc Morton - Live-keyboard, lyrics, vocals
Marius Lürig - Drums
Max Filges - Live-keyboard, production
featured artists:
Sascha Mario Klein - Lyrics, vocals
Lennart A. Salomon - Lyrics, vocals
Viktorija Kukule - Lyrics, vocals
Sven Friedrich - Lyrics, vocals
Christian Schottstädt - Lyrics, vocals
Website
www.facebook.com/Morphoseproject / www.morphose-music.com/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
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