Moon Far Away & Vishudha Kali - Vorotsa

I always had a weakness towards the material that came from the post-soviet areas of the planet and this is not only because of my personal roots. I truly believe that the special conditions and background of those places can influence industrial music a lot and bring a fresh air into sometimes stuffy atmosphere of western side formations.

And today it is a time of two residents which are well-known to all those, who are familiar with the eastern scene, to show us what exactly can be done , when you mix a folkish based melodies with more industrial and experimental sounds.

Moon Far Away is Archangelsk based neo-folk band, which explores the world of an Old Russian folk elements, while Vishudha Kali is the project more known for its special experimental tunes. This kind of a mix seemed to be very charming for me when I heard that those two are going to release a mutual album. That's why I invested few bucks in this cd , and after listening to it I can definitely say that my investment was not spent for nothing.

The significant elements of both bands are bind together to bring something really different and not usual. From one hand, Moon Far Away takes as the basis old songs of the northern Russian areas, where the love and respect of nature is threaded with wisdom of ages, with the eternal sorrow and vast northern fields and forests. And from another hand, Vishudha Kali applies cold experimental sound together with analogue processed special electronics. A lot of effects are based on Andrew Komarov, the frontman of Vishudha Kali, manipulating with his voice as "the main flexible and plastic instrument, while the voice is the most significant way to express the inner feelings".

The first track "Vorotsa" (The gate) is of the same name as the album itself and presents an introduction which starts with scattered sounds of the wild cold wind and gentle chanting singing, slowly transforms into more rhythmic and receives a form. The following second track , "U kluchika" (near a small stream) consists of a song guided by different small bells and running water to bring an essential feeling of a real forest stream which carries away all the sorrows and comforts ones soul. "Oi po doroge" (on the road) stands out as more rhythmic and fast track with again a wind blowing and man chanting in some kind of a shaman ritualistic conjuration, opening a vast plains of northern nature before the able traveler. The last two tracks are taken from a northern Russian folklore, Sheptunov tries to sing those songs as much close to the local pronunciation of the words as possible in order to keep the atmosphere alive, while Komarov adds a retro-electronic pulsations, strange strings jerking, distorted voices and analogue processions.

This creation will be hard to digest for those who are not familiar with the local culture, but it can reveal the depth of the inner world which is behind the stereotypes of the drunk and rude nation. It can reflect the world of strong man that live in symbiosis with nature, trying to survive the conditions which can break the regular people. Open your heart and try this album. Even when you feel it too monotonous, it can be embraced eagerly after few constant runs. As the disadvantage of the album is it's too short running time, which leaves in the air something untold and unfinished. Feb 25 2012