Reviews of Russian Contemporary, Acid, Underground Folk

* Whitehorse Music Vermicelli Orchestra : Anabis (rec.1996)****

Small folk orchestra, playing joyful light-weight folk with a traditional edge put into a contemporary folk form. Group with famous accordion player and members from classical music past.

Full review :

"Vermeshelle Orchestra (-spelt differently-) has build itself up since 1996. Together with 10 musicians their goal was to make an interesting contemporary crossover styled acoustic music. (Before this, band leader Sergey Schurakov was a band member for 10 years with the popular rock group "Akvarium").

This first release shows instrumental composed (individual) folk music, like contemporary music with a folkrock flavour. The music compositions are by Sergey Schurakov who composes like an accordion player, but without getting the instrument dominate the melodic cire. The band sound is pretty complete and vivid. They often sound a bit like a later Flairck (-the Dutch chamber folk band-), through the use of flute (and some oboe), and the very composed but solid and fluent chamber / art folk band sound, with a certain light edge. The complete CD listens as one track, which I think is a very positive quality."

* Boheme Music Vermicelli Orchestra : Byzantium (rec.1999)***

Tr.2, "Byzantium" 7 min

In this later album the group evolved to a somewhat more dynamic and evolved sound, so I preferred to play the most independently styled track from this album. The group plays also with orchestra.

Full review :

"On the second CD the sound has many more blended elements so that the final style of the band and its performances / compositions on this CD are more independent. On the first track we hear some rock influences, including a more 'Tullish' flute. It has captivating melodic rhythms which are also more jazzy and with some live subcrossing borders like energy. Other tracks, like "The Dancing Sphinx", "Maria" have a kind of relaxed independent art chamber acoustic style which I like very much. Sometimes this has elements of minimal music, like in "Sea Wind". "Shantolina" is lighter in style, in an art folk way, but also here the arrangements are very varied. In general, there are, except for the three last tracks of the album, like "Sacateta", and a bit on "Ocarina", and on the last track "Forilien", less folk influences, and the blending in general is much stronger. The last track "Forilien" is a bit a light weight end for a very good release, with its use of an Irish theme, but I still like very much the perfect additional bassoon there. Both CD's are recommended listen if you like folk."

Since its existence the group has been very active on stage. It has also performed support acts for people like Peter Hammil (ex-Van Der Graaf Generator) and Michael Nyman with his orchestra (famous for his 'minimal music'). Since end 2001 they also work with a chamber orchestra.

Homepage : http://www.vo.org.ru/ (contains both Russian and English versions. English version contains many soundfiles and copies of reviews in English, as well as other materials).

Other reviews in English : http://www.wolfhair.com/vermicelli_orchestra.html (contains a lot of mistakes, this is a very old, never updated page) & http://www.folkworld.de/25/e/cds4.html

PS. links to webpages from the Russian PopRock band Aqvarium : http://www.planetaquarium.com/

* Prikosnovenie Flëur (UKR,2002)***°

Tr.3, "On the dark side of the moon" 4 min

Tr.5, "Dancing God" 5 min

Tr.6, "A sad Clown" 4 min

Tr.7, "Carrousel" 7 min 20 131

Independent (neo-)folk-pop with neoclassical and neo-wave touches, and often dynamic production. Group from Odessa, Ukraïne. The third track is the most dynamic track, which is also released at the Prikosnovenie label's sampler. "Caroussel" singing (only) has a Cocteau Twins flavour.

Webpage : http://www.fleur.kiev.ua/ Contact : vlad@falkondesign.com

Info : http://membres.lycos.fr/prikos/groupes/fleurk.html

Review : http://www.fluxeuropa.com/fleur-prikosnovenie.htm

& http://www.chaindlk.org/reviews/reviews.php3?search=fl%EBur

Soundfiles of 3 other tracks : http://www.prikosnovenie.com/auditorium/prik063.html

* PrikosnovenieCaprice : Elven Music (RU,2001)**

Neo-classical art song group. With heavenly voice, harp,.. Still slightly boring arrangements.

* Prikosnovenie

Caprice : Elven Music 2 : the evening of Iluvatar's children (RU,2003)**°

Tr.6, "Shadow Bride" 4 min 135

Also in neo-classical art song style. The group improved here with its arrangements. Especially this one is based upon Tolkien'sL "ord of the Rings". With more instruments, sometimes even an orchestra. With heavenly voices. I chose one of the most dynamic, expressive tracks. Everything is sung in English.

Webpage : www.caprice.ru and http://membres.lycos.fr/prikos/groupes/capricek.html

& http://membres.lycos.fr/prikos/groupes/capricek.html & http://www.prikosnovenie.com/auditorium/index.html & http://www.kulichki.com/pmusic/caprice/ &

http://caprice.kulichki.net/index-eng.htm & http://www.music.gothic.ru/russian/caprice_e.htm

* Jaro MedenFarlanders : Moments (RU,2000)**°

Tr.12, "Poppy" 10 min

Live recording. (Ethno) Folk-rock band with aerial passages and partly a vivid live sound.

Full review :

"This CD was already recommended to me, together with some other items, by a friend of mine out of Russia. It's a live concert, recorded on minidisk, but from an extraordinary recording quality, with a perfect dynamism and balance. The mood on this concert must have been perfect. The group experienced this recording as their best of them so far. And it has an intensifying energy difficult to achieve otherwise.

The singer Inna Zhelannaya sang before with a famous Russian rock band, Alliance, in the nineties. Her voice is neither rock, folk or ethnic but holds the middle between these three genres. The wind instruments definitely have inspiration from various Russian folk sources. The music itself is also very much inspired on folk, but has its own sound. Quiet songs are moody, warm, sometimes dark warm through the use of some synthesizer in one track, up tempo songs are wild folkrock. When the band gets wild into the live act the electric bass goes very funky, inventive and driving, the drumming gets fast & complex, almost like a jazz drummer, with on top the Slavic ? folk flutes & other ethnic wind instruments & clarinet, a few times Bulgarian bagpipe. A fine album, and a perfect concert !"

PS. I heard Inna released also a solo album Vodorosl (Seeweed) released by the Moscow based label General Records.

PS. Mari Boine / Inna Zhelannaya / Sergey Starostin : The Finnish or Swami Mari Boine made this album in 1992 with Russian musicians from the bands Allians, Moscow Art Trio and Farlanders. I heard it must be a combination of rock with jazz and folk.

Info with links to soundfiles of their 2 albums : http://www.jaro.de/php/..

Review : http://www.folkworld.de/14/e/cds1.html#farl

& http://www.cdroots.com/jaro-far.html

Review & interview : http://www.jazzdimensions.de/interviews/the_world/2000/farlanders.html

Review of first album : http://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/inna.html

Veter Vody : Tr.9, "Yeriemushka" 5 min 5

Spendid energetic craftship, ethnic, groove folkrock. Demo track. "Windmill and Veter Vody existed since 1999 and Veter Vody is side project of Melnitsa / Windmill." AvR

According to the Melnitsa group mannager : "Veter Vody is not the side project of Melnitsa for 1.5 years any more. The guys left the group since then."

The track is left out at last moment because of time limitations.

Missed items :

* Inna Gelannaya used to be at http://innaclub.hut.ru

"Inna Gellannaya practically didn't changed her style over the years"

* Huun Huur Tu : Tuva (troat singing) music from Russia : http://www.huunhuurtu.com/

* -(I personally like the Tuva band Yat-Kha, who uses more rock elements in its music :

http://www.yat-kha.com)-.

* Ole Lukkoye : not sure how much folk they have in their music : http://www.2012.spb.ru/Oley/ &

http://www.olelukkoye.ru/ I expect to receive a release soon.

MORE LINKS :

FOLK :

Russian bards http://195.19.94.6:8105/afisha/bard0x.htm

Russian Celtic folk http://music.celtic.ru/

ROCK, INDIPENDENT :

Russian progressive music to order at http://www.bohememusic.com/

Russian rock http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~yoffe/rolinks.htm

Art Rock from Russia (Russian/English) : http://www.artrock.msk.ru/

Russian indipendant music site (Russian/English) at http://gromco.com/music/rim_archive/

Some independent groups names http://gromco.com/music/rim_archive/whowho.html

Russian Gothic bands : http://www.music.gothic.ru/russian_e.htm

Russian music site at http://russia-in-us.com/Music/

Russian prog at http://www.gardenshedcd.com/lv-45/#RUSSIA

Some Russian jazz (and prog) at http://www.bohememusic.com/eng/artists.htm

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A review of the Moscow Art Trio release :

* Jaro Medien Misha's Alperin's Moscow Art Trio : Once upon a time (RU,2001)**°

"A group with a sound, often blended, varying from a jazz version of contemporary (classical) music, performed in a spontaneous, almost improving manner, to an approach, appeal and inspiration to music composition, in a similar way like the Art Ensemble of Chicago, to jazz improvisation, with a sense of humour. The track "Early Sunrise" is a bit different and uses an eastern theme in their specific fusing way. The CD is a perfect listen, recommended to those who would love to hear a combination of contemporary music, jazz, and a chamber music like improvisational music. "

Info : http://www.jaro.de/php/..

Abaton Book Comp Julia Vorontsova : 5-track CDR (RU,2003)****

Tr.2, "Love"

Tr.5, "Grandfather"

This young voice from St.Petersburg immediately brought me in mind one of my favourite voices, Ewa Demarczyck from Poland (from which I highly appreciate her "live" album from 1979). I'm one of those people who like a lot deeply melancholic songs, sung with deep feelings and with a poetic approach. Inspired by earlier Russian bards, Julia writes beautiful love & friendship-songs simply accompanied by acoustic guitar, but with a beauty it becomes a must for acid/wyrd folk lovers. Highly recommended !

Info : http://www.smoe.org/lists/ecto/v09.n365 & http://www.abatonbookcompany.us/JuliaVorontsova.html

Soundfile of first track "Roma" : http://www.abatonbookcompany.us/Rome.mp3

Review of performance and live pictures : http://www.jenyk.com/bandphotography/juliavorontsova.htm

Both tracks are played in the follow-up radioshow about singer-songwriters.