BEFORE WE DISAPPEAR

Their second album, 'Before We Disappear', came out at the beginning of 2013, and is the only one of the four to have I Will Kill Chita as the band name instead of IWKC. The band line-up was the same as the previous year, but while the quintet had again brought violinist Anastasiya Narochnaya back as a guest, they added another two string players, three brass instrumentalists and an additional keyboard player. These instruments are all integral on an album which still contains post rock elements but is also moving into modern classical with complex arrangements which sees them form a hybrid of a rock group and a chamber orchestra. The rhythm section of drummer Nikita Samarin and bassist Alex Ivanov are incredibly important in this new setting as one sets up the rhythmic cut through while the other provides the foundation, often controlling the melody as the other layers are placed on top.

The result is something which to my ears is the most complex and complete of all their releases to date. Experimental yet exciting, complex and complicated yet easy to listen to, progressive, eclectic, modern post rock and classical combined, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting album throughout. The physical product is again no longer available, but the band are now with the noname label so this is now easily available through their Bandcamp site, where I can see this is currently available for the princely sum of ?4 EUR which is definitely a bargain. Russia has some wonderful progressive bands, and whatever one thinks of the leadership of that country, that is no reason not to support these musicians. Here they experiment with different styles and forms, the result being an album which is fascinating throughout.