| Voyager | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Length | 42:00 | |||
| Label | Creation Records (CRE 113) | |||
| Momus chronology | ||||
| ||||
Voyager is the seventh album by Scottish musician Momus, released in 1992 by Creation Records. [1] Voyager marked Momus' increased popularity in Japan, where he was signed to Nippon Columbia and began to collaborate with a number of notable Shibuya-kei artists. [2]
Voyager marked a turn in Momus's musical and lyrical output, which became increasingly focused on Japanese themes and musically influenced by ambient and house music. Inspired in part by the staging of a Yukio Mishima play that Momus had attended at the 1991 Edinburgh Festival, the album heavily utilized science fiction themes. Momus described this era as "looking into 21st century", and reflective of a "new sensibility in the 90s". [2]
The first single released for the album was "Summer Holiday 1999", which initially appeared on a 1990 Polystar Records compilation titled Fab Gear. [3] The song was inspired by Summer Vacation 1999 , a Japanese film set in the near-future about the homoerotic relationships of Japanese schoolboys, featuring an all-female cast. [2]
Though Momus would later spend much of his life living in Japan, he first visited the country in 1990 at the request of the Shibuya-kei band Flipper's Guitar, who had coordinated the release of the Fab Gear compilation. Though he had not seen success equal to his 1989 single "The Hairstyle of the Devil" continue in the UK, he began to gain popularity in East Asia. Momus would soon collaborate with a number of Japanese artists, including Poison Girlfriend (whose name is a direct reference to Momus's 1987 album, The Poison Boyfriend ) [4] and Kahimi Karie. [5]
Voyager was reissued in 2018 on Cherry Red Records in a box set of Momus's Creation Records albums. It is included on the second volume, Recreate, with bonus tracks. [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| NME | 2/10 |
The album received mixed reviews from the UK press. NME writer Barbara Ellen rated the album 2/10, comparing the album to Pet Shop Boys and Gary Numan, but saying the album was "misguided", adding that, "Voyager could satisfy only those who live to banquet on Neil Tennant's discarded nail clippings." [7] Melody Maker's Simon Price gave the album a glowing review, noting a "revolutionary" change in Momus's style, and adding that the album was "awash with luxuriant synths and awe-inspiring vistas". [7] AllMusic's Charles Spano rated the album 4/5 stars, calling it one of Momus's "most sentimental albums" and praising its "bittersweet dreaminess". [6]
All tracks are written by Momus
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cibachrome Blue" | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Virtual Reality" | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Vocation" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Conquistador" | 5:31 |
| 5. | "Spacewalk" | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Summer Holiday 1999" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Trans Siberian Express" | 5:15 |
| 8. | "Afterglow" | 4:09 |
| 9. | "Voyager" | 5:49 |
| 10. | "Momutation 3" | 2:29 |
| Total length: | 42:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Summer Holiday 1999 (Original version)" | 3:15 |
| 12. | "I'm Still Trying" | 2:48 |
| 13. | "Things You Never Did" | 3:25 |
| Total length: | 51:08 | |
Nicholas John Currie, more popularly known under the artist name Momus, is a Scottish musician and writer.
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Flipper's Guitar (フリッパーズ・ギター) were a Tokyo-based rock band led by Keigo Oyamada and Kenji Ozawa. The band were influenced by the chirpy sound of British 80s pop and post-punk groups like Haircut 100, Exhibit B, Orange Juice, The Style Council and Aztec Camera, as well as the fashionably eclectic sounds of early 90s Britain, from alternative dance to acid jazz.
Mari Hiki, better known by her stage name Kahimi Karie, is a Japanese singer, songwriter and photographer. Her music is closely associated with the Shibuya-kei aesthetic. Karie sings in English, French and Japanese, among other languages.
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Tilt is the third studio album by Japanese musician Kahimi Karie. It was released on May 24, 2000, by Polydor Records.
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Hirohisa Horie is a Japanese musician and multi-instrumentalist. He plays primarily keyboards and guitar. Horie is one half of the Shibuya-kei duo Neil & Iraiza, and is known for his work with artists such as Kahimi Karie and Cornelius.
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The Poison Boyfriend is the second album by Scottish musician Momus, released in 1987 on Creation Records. After the critical success of Momus' Biblical-themed and stripped down debut album Circus Maximus (1986), Momus left él Records and signed with Creation Records after he bonded with record label boss Alan McGee. His first release for the label, The Poison Boyfriend is a song cycle that features a full band; its first half features acoustic-based singer-songwriter songs with cabaret pop influences, while the more upbeat second half features synthesisers and drum machines.
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The Philosophy of Momus is the ninth studio album by Scottish musician Momus. It was released on 1 April 1995 through Nippon Columbia in Japan, and Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom.
Timelord is the eighth studio album by Scottish musician Momus. It was released in October 1993 through Creation Records in Europe and Nippon Columbia in Japan.
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