Vxlam

A range of warm and inviting instrumentals appear this week from across Russia, yet they cannot advertise an easy-going worldview. Elements of unease and anxiety remain constantly foregrounded.

Several new darkwave and glitch-hop recordings share some related concerns. They ponder the decline and demise inherent in material existence. Fatalism and decadence go head-to-head in response.

Several instrumental and abstract hip-hop releases from both Russia and Kazakhstan consider various aspects of emotional promise. Surrounded by adult disappointment and material goals, these musicians ponder various (distant) alternatives instead.