You see it happen all the time; a band member has a creative vision that doesn't suit the band itself, so embarks on a solo project / side project to take a break from the norm. For instance; Linde from HIM doing DANIEL LIONEYE, or SLIPKNOT’s Corey Taylor also doing STONE SOUR. It allows the room for expression and allows the artist to not feel restricted by any means to a certain style. Cue JAANI PEUHU; the ICONCRASH front man has himself chosen to go solo under his own name, no moniker, and release “Tear Catcher”. In what way has he veered from the A-HA/NINE INCH NAILS inspired dark-wave of his band?
Opening track “Lifelines” isn't particularly a departure by any means, other than maybe you could say it’s a mellower affair. The ambient electronic tones are still there, Jaani’s vocals are as sweet as ever, like he’s a step away from being Lauri from THE RASMUS, and it’s all thoroughly pleasant. The title track is more of the same, soft, heavily synth driven and generally…nice.
“My Sky” has a bit more going for it, with the subtle 80’s influence of a-Ha shining through, resulting in an album highlight along with “Mercy Kiss” and “Follow Me”. He clearly has a great ear for a pop melody, coupled with his ability to draw emotions from each song despite the cold, synthetic feel of the genre and it’s a win/win situation, before we milk the ending for all it’s worth with the 7+ minute “Desire”.
Essentially what you've got here, is believe it or not, an artist being really rather daring. Not only toning things down to head in a more pop orientated direction from his band, but from Finland’s mainstream culture itself. He’s personally expressed it’s harder for pop acts to succeed with any level of longevity in his native Finland…so frown if you will; this album needs to be applauded. When was the last time pop was rebellious?!?! [6]
For more about Jaani, check out his website; http://www.jaanipeuhu.com
Opening track “Lifelines” isn't particularly a departure by any means, other than maybe you could say it’s a mellower affair. The ambient electronic tones are still there, Jaani’s vocals are as sweet as ever, like he’s a step away from being Lauri from THE RASMUS, and it’s all thoroughly pleasant. The title track is more of the same, soft, heavily synth driven and generally…nice.
“My Sky” has a bit more going for it, with the subtle 80’s influence of a-Ha shining through, resulting in an album highlight along with “Mercy Kiss” and “Follow Me”. He clearly has a great ear for a pop melody, coupled with his ability to draw emotions from each song despite the cold, synthetic feel of the genre and it’s a win/win situation, before we milk the ending for all it’s worth with the 7+ minute “Desire”.
Essentially what you've got here, is believe it or not, an artist being really rather daring. Not only toning things down to head in a more pop orientated direction from his band, but from Finland’s mainstream culture itself. He’s personally expressed it’s harder for pop acts to succeed with any level of longevity in his native Finland…so frown if you will; this album needs to be applauded. When was the last time pop was rebellious?!?! [6]
For more about Jaani, check out his website; http://www.jaanipeuhu.com
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