Von Konow - Lieder

The Finnish pseudo-enigma Von Konow obviously has a serious classical background in music theory and composition despite his desire to let his electronic-fused darkwave post rock speak for itself. To wit: the art rocker admits to being classically trained, but he was also in a number of bands before going solo. Von Konow was a founding member of a pioneering (for Finland) Brit pop band in the late 80s called Bibi Hanuk, which merged into a power pop group called Tweed in the 90s. He also pinballed around in a few cover bands, but none of Von Konow’s previous music endeavours can explain the large-scope, orchestral compositions of his upcoming debut solo album, Lieder

Due out in January, Lieder has already produced two singles which have corresponding videos on Youtube. Just as theatrical and powerful as the songs, the videos for “Cosmic” and “Horses Run With Me” show the impact Von Komow deigns to make on the art rock world, seemingly out of nowhere. Also a keen visual artist, the Fin obviously has a flair for the theatric when it comes to both music and video production.

“Cosmic” opens like an electronic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, with Von Konow’s vocals being every bit as stylized and pitch-on as a musical theatre actor’s. As the track moves on, a familiar orchestral melody forms. Similar to the big-budget and new wave Brit pop sounds of The Human League, The Psychedelic Furs or Spandau Ballet. The scope is much wider and the production much cleaner, however, as there is a full compliment of instruments. There is a fusion here that is difficult to comprehend on first listen. Packed into the middle of “Cosmic” is a house music transition, a swelling of French horns and even a harmonica.



The intro to “Horses Run With Me”, while it has the same epic soundscape, is a little less Brit pop. For lack of a better comparison, it sounds vaguely Manhiem Steamroller-ish. Musically beautiful, the beat structure is composed in such a way that a rolling, churning feeling is achieved and the listener may even be able to picture said running horses. For whatever reason, Von Kanow’s vocals seem a little dead on this track, almost off-key. It may have been intentional, once again a’la Psychedelic Furs, but in the face of the pitch-perfect backing orchestra it’s a little jarring. The video for “Horses Run With Me” may be the best thing about this track. With beautiful vistas and a joyful foot race at the end, the video takes this track to an even more evocative and emotive place.




The key for Von Konow as he develops his brand will likely be his videos. While clean composition and emotive music is a huge leg up for the burgeoning power pop god, the visuals Von Konow has created to go along with his first two singles make them so much more powerful. When Lieder is final released in January, Von Konow plans to release a video for each song on the album, so it’s obvious that he is passionate about both his music and his film. 


Dec 02 2016