Two labels - from Moscow and Omsk - announce a handful of new releases this week. They all concern some vague, enduring lacuna in modern society and whether Russia's endless expanse offers an alternative.
Aesthetically, there might seem little in common between these recordings. Geographically, they are also far apart. yet when it comes to considerations of urban and rural existence, we find a considerable overlap.
Four ambient and dub releases from Siberia and Lithuania consider the appeal of escape, either to endless forest or further still. The "revolutionary" appeal of that nothingness, however, invites some negative examples from history.
A number of new chillwave and shoegaze releases display an interesting tension between sentimental and "psychedelic" expression. The former state, with growing levels of trust, begins to reveal a very strange vista...
Some recent recordings from Tallinn and Moscow use glitch and drone textures in order to ponder the difficult creation of stable meaning against a backdrop of fractured and/or fleeting actuality.
The understated, ambient sounds on display from these young composers are tied - overtly - to the romance of a northern landscape. Upon closer investigation, though, spirituality and science fiction come to the fore.
Ambient recordings from Samara, Yekaterinburg, and Kharkov consider the real-world import of their soundscapes. How, in other words, does the "homeless" nature of ambient material relate to daily experience?
Nu Aura is a netlabel from St. Petersburg, acting as virtual home to a wide range of Russian musicians. This week sees the release of a hushed, understated compilation, designed to investigate expressive options beyond speech.
New glitch and drone compositions from some Russian and Lithuanian towns together create a sad picture of modernity. Escape offers more promise than the here and now. The further one travels, the better.
Three new drone and glitch recordings from northern Russia consider the nature of music without authorial or editorial control. Sounds prior to human intervention are used and celebrated - at an increasing distance from "handicraft."
