OTHER SIDE

Arseny Ershov (Арсений Ершов) or better known as the shortened ARS DE ER is a one-man project out of Minsk, Belarus who has been quite prolific in his 13 years on the scene he has released a total of 20 full-length albums in that time. Over the years he has cranked out several dark minimalist ambient recordings as well as adding the more challenging complexities of avant-prog to his mix. He has also been quite generous in offering his music for free for anyone who wants to download it. Of course donations are accepted.

Since 2016 ARS DE ER has released two or more albums per year for the most part and 2022 was no different with "Attacca Subito" and this one L'ADIEU AU MONDE. This is a completely new artist to me so i have zero references to any of his other works but after seeing his name pop up here and there lately i thought i'd better take the plunge and start diving into some of his music and what a surprise it is! This guy loves it weirdly dark and gloomy with darkwave in the cosmic dance with challenging angular avant-prog freakery.

L'ADIEU AU MONDE is a single near 32-minute track that reminds a lot of classic Univers Zero meets Art Zoyd in the period of UZ's debut "1313" and the even freakier sophomore unit "Heresie." After opening up with a gloomy atmospheric ambient haze the chamber rock aspects slowly ooze in until they become the dominate force. While no instrumentation seems to be listed anywhere this chamber prog appears to consist of a violin, viola, occasional saxophone, keyboards, piano and a bass. While a guitar seems absent for the most part there are moments when it's clearly a part of the equation. I'm not sure how typical this album is in comparison to the others but if somebody told me this was a long lost Univers Zero from the first phase of the band, i would totally believe them!

While originality isn't the strongest suit here, excellent musicianship and sense of composition clearly is. As the post-rock styled cyclical loops slowly build steam throughout the half-hour plus run the piano rolls become more proggy and music alternates between melodic sombre moments with knotty hairpin turn segments that offer satisfying avant-progginess. No vocals to be heard on this one as it is a gloom and doom procession down Lugubrious Lane. Clearly ARS has done his homework in studying classic Univers Zero, Present, Miriodor with ominous woodwinds adding brooding tones to a haunted string section. The darkwave atmospheres are anxiously surreal and mysteriously apocalyptic, something i haven't really experienced in the avant-prog world since UZ's "Heresie" itself which is the clear chief force of inspiration here.

It's not just a UZ / Art Zoyd clone though. ARS offers some stellar classical piano runs and more diversity with brooding moments of contemplation and dread followed up thunderous rock uproars that offer startling contrasts. The atmospheric backdrop serves as a sort of droning effect while the piano tinkling and swarms of strings improvise soundtracks of ominous suspense. ARS has mastered the art of contrapuntal elements perfectly with militant percussive drives and saddened string slides all conspiring to craft the perfect witching hour freak-a-thon. This music is actually brilliant even if it does follow a little too closely in the footsteps of classic UZ. The whole thing comes off more Belgium than Belarus.

From the looks and titles of ARS DE ER's other releases, it appears that his entire canon delves into the cold darkness of a similar effect. While this was my first stop in the canon it certainly won't be my last. Nobody's really replicated the classic Univers Zero sound so effectively so i'm beyond impressed with L'ADIEU AU MONDE as it sounds totally organic and not manufactured on a computer. And to think that every instrument is played by just one guy who seamlessly melds all the parts together like a real chamber orchestra. One of the biggest surprises of 2022, a year in which there have been too many great musical release to keep track of.