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Janosch Moldau
Motel Songs

Posted: Saturday, May 30, 2009
By: Matthew Johnson
Features Editor

Self-described "spiritual pop" artist Janosch Moldau's modus operandi has always to take his own deep reflections on Christian faith and turn them into universal messages of spirituality and redemption. On that level, Motel Songs is only a partial success. Describing Moldau's growing disillusionment with organized religion as well as his own deepening personal faith, it can't help but delve into personal specifics, and the explicit Christianity of songs like "Here Again" with its chorus of "Oh my love Jesus / I shall be strong" are bound to turn off more than a few secular fans, despite a moody bass groove and warped analog sequences that compare favorably to mid-period Depeche Mode. Likewise, the references to cult leaders Kip McKean and Gordon Ferguson on "I Am the Kingdom" will probably be lost on most listeners outside of insular evangelical circles. As a modern synthpop album though, Motel Songs is a success. There are plenty of vintage analog sounds for fans of classic electro-pop, with "Pieces from the Stairs of Heaven" recalling the blips and pulses of Vince Clark's early work and "Follow Me" coming across like a lost OMD ballad. There are also plenty of modern touches, like the judiciously placed pads and whirs of "Deepest Sins of My Heart," the way that dance rhythms give way to cinematic strings pads on "Clear," and the way Moldau subtly works in hints of guitar on "Burning Pictures" and instrumental interlude "Motel Link." Moldau's got a great voice for this style too, a sweet tenor croon that floats through echoes above the programmed sequences, and his more self-critical moments, as on "Not with the Son," display a self-doubt that transcends dogma, though from his own perspective it's hard to tell whether the song itself is an example of the virtue of humility or the sin of hopelessness (it's clear from context that when he calls himself the "Pope of horniness" that he means it to be a bad thing, not a Marilyn Manson-inspired boast). Motel Songs comes from a very specific perspective, and while not everyone will appreciate that, Moldau's music possesses a heartfelt sincerity that's sure to be appreciated by devoted synthpop fans.