With a vocal style reminiscent of David Bowie and Nick Cave, Helsinki’s Marko von Konow has released two beautiful singles, accompanied by mesmerisingly lovely videos, ahead of his new album, ‘Lieder’.
First single, ‘Cosmic’, was recorded in Helsinki, Finland and in the oak woods of Alentejo, Portugal, and features a stark monochromatic video with Marko in turns running to or away from a girl who is forever on his mind and yet somehow always out of his grasp. His deep resonant vocals are matched by the orchestral instrumentation, the highlight of which are the plucked strings which serve to keep the beat at times in the song. The song tells a story of light and shadow, both musically and emotionally, with a tale of the melancholy of short, intimate encounters.
‘Horses Run With Me’ is the second release from ‘Lieder’, and differs from ‘Cosmic’ in both tone and execution. The video is shot in muted colours, in a desolate seaside landscape in turn featuring blazing light and darkest shadows. The song itself tells the story of the threats to, and the survival of, exposed souls, in the harsh and murky borderlands. The instrumentation successfully replicates the sound and feeling of horses running alongside you in a field. A classically trained musician and visualist, von Konow knows how to make his synthesiser mimic the frenetic thurr-ump thurr-ump of horses hooves, and the strings, and his beautiful voice draws the listener in irresistibly.
Von Konow divides his times between Helsinki, Finland, and Alentejo, Portugal, where he has built a house on a hill in the middle of an oak forest, in which to write his music. He draws inspiration from his journeys around the world, and in his work we can hear the influences of many different ages and genres of music: from cabaret, to prog rock; from classical to synthesiser pop.
Download ‘Cosmic’, and ‘Horses Run With Me’, from iTunes. ‘Lieder’ is set for release on 13 January. Find out more about von Konow online on his Facebook page.
