Stillife - Lullabies

When you are a small kid, your world is full of joy and colorful moments (in a case that you grow up in a normative family). Everything is new and brings lots of unforgettable experiences. One part of the deepest memories is those evenings when your parents put you down to sleep, telling fairy tales and singing gentle lullabies; such warm and peaceful moments remain with you for many years. An idea to use this theme in neofolk music is full of attractive charm and fantasy. That's why, when I saw a concept behind the new album from Russian based Stillife, my thoughts were swept with a huge wave of nostalgia. 'Lullabies' is the opus of being able to reunite with the mystery of those moments long gone, with the warmth of beloved breath, with the muted light in the corner of cozy room.

The music of 'Lullabies' is wrapped up in a shroud of fallen leaves and covered with a veil of a heavy evening mist. Though I prefer the songs to sound in my mother tongue, the translation of native Russian tales and lullaby songs into English gave them a slightly different and fresh perspective. With the "Nightfall", the album starts its unhurried story. The whole range of different acoustic instruments creates a truly magical atmosphere diving into a bright melancholy without any fear or concern. "Magpie", "Sleep My Baby", "White Geese", all of them are full of guitars, - lead, bass and acoustic, violins, cellos, accordion, drumming session, just name it. The music is dense and complex and it is hard to imagine the possibility to insert even one more tune or beat into such a slim row. But on the other hand it is not overloaded without a reason; every instrument has its place and special influence.

All compositions have a medium-low tempo; this is kind of a music that you would like to listen by the fireplace with a bottle of a good wine or cherry liquor and a good book, when the autumn tries to break into the window, splashing with waterfalls, roaring with thunder and threatening with huge bolts of lightning. Even when the theme of the album is lullabies for small children, there is a deep glimpse of sorrow almost in each and every track, maybe as a tribute to some long gone memories of the author, or maybe as a requiem for the times that cannot be returned.

A deep charismatic vocal became a recognizable signature of the band long ago and Stillife don't disappoint listener this time as well. It is a true pleasure to listen to the gentle words floating all over the music, carrying thoughts for a journey far away, far behind the horizon, far above the clouds. The voice absorbs in itself all the dreams that were carried carefully from the times of reckless childhood up until today.

Started the career as an electronic darkwave band more than fifteen years ago, Stillife passed a huge evolution process to end up as a pure neofolk band these days. I was surprised when I discovered that the guys moved into the field of acoustic experimentation, but I really enjoyed "Lullabies" and I truly believe that such a transformation brought a lot of delight and bright moments into the musical development of the band. I do suggest this release to all the devoted fans of the genre while this Russian formation presented one of the best albums of 2012. Feb 16 2014