Sunset Wings - Farewell

Autumn is finally here and it's heavy raining outside the window, while the entire world seems to be totally flooded. The nature itself dictates this special state of mind when you seek for staying inside warm house, sitting by the wet window with a cup of gluwein and darkness in thoughts. And of course, nothing can be better than a pack of good music to support a rainy mood like this. The new album of Sunset Wings arrives right in time to fill the vacuum of feelings in my heart and make a strong injection of sadness and melancholy.

'Farewell' is a record with almost everything that is needed to paint a confused spirit with a full gamut of soft watercolors. Balancing on the edge between neoclassical and neofolk music, this Russian formation brings a beautiful mix of both genres not forgetting the specific tastes of the local mysticism to create a fluent and airy album. Riding on a chilly breath of autumn wind, the music of Sunset Wings breaks into the room full of shadows ventilates it from darkest and gloomiest thoughts, leaving the house with the smell of fresh morning forest. Using a huge variety of instruments, the band succeeds in binding them into one solid canvas of sound. Guitar, violins, flutes, accordion, piano, drums, this wide specter of acoustic instruments creates a very nostalgic and emotional picture, and each of them has its special meaning and place inside the total composition. While the accent is made on the gentle and soft male vocals, an even softer and more fluent female voice joins from time to time, injecting extra-romantic feeling to the poetry of the songs, like in "Tears of Lonely Stars". Most of the lyrics are in russian and native speaking auditory will enjoy the depth and beauty of the words that flow out of the speakers, though there are few tracks that are sang in english and german, but with a heavy russian accent. There are few moments where the voice is pushed a little bit into the background and falls against the musical structure, but they are driven away fast enough without leaving too much negative impression.

I continue to spin the album over and over again while writing this review and it opens its gates wider and wider with each run. Reminding the records of other neofolk artists of the scene a little bit, like Neutral or Moon Far Away, Sunset Wings succeed in keeping their own face and unrepeatable touch with complex but still easily perceived melodies and songs like "Ice", "The Sunset", "Poisoned" and others. Without a doubt, 'Farewell' will capture the special place in the hearts of fans of romantic and melancholic tunes. An excellent release, one of the best that saw the light on "The Eastern Front" label so far, and it is only the matter of time that the band will join the list of classics of the genre, because the potential is definitely there. I am sure that we will experience even bigger highlights in foreseeable future. Nov 27 2012