LOST WORLD (1992)

Originally recorded just after the collapse of the Soviet Union in March-June 1992, this was arguably the first Russian rock art album focused solely on an artistically adventurous journey, consciously unrelated to the stage. political and everyday life of the early 90s. Apart from track 1, this galette does not reproduce the original mother track. The original recording has been carefully researched and deemed unsuitable for official release due to poor sound quality and other contingencies. This effort features the reimagined version of the album, recorded in 2018-2020 from scratch, with live drums and new lyrics. In May 2018, Andy undertook a titanic job of replaying all instruments by ear, guided by the 1992 band (with the exception of the Midnight in Venice which was scored in 1992). After that, Vasya was summoned to record the flute and the vocal parts, which he did from June 28 to 30, 2018. Just two days before, the flute parts for "Spheres Aligned" were also recorded. The last phase: confined to his apartment by the pandemic in 2020, Andy searched the Internet for a drummer. The versatile young independent drummer Matt Brown was found, and from his London studio he recorded the drums in June-July 2020. The album was mixed and mastered in November-December 2020 by Andy and Alex. This seventh opus which is very hard to categorize features short and tight compositions sporting enough modifications, changes and thematic developments to occupy even the very attentive listener for a while trying to follow the paths. A talented group of musicians whose songs can be quite progressive and sophisticated, but often tend to be straightforward and syrupy, especially when vocals are involved. This album classified Crossover Prog with "Canterburyenne" and "Fusionesque" tendencies has "Floydienne", "Genesienne", "Beatlesienne" and "Caravanesque" hues to name a few ... And yes all that makes a beautiful patchwork with a non-existent common thread, but each piece has a real interest in composition and stylistic exercise. Here is what it returns:

"The Underpass Theme" opens with a short urban cinematic introctuction on a nicely and nicely played flute tune passing to the back of the stage like an anonymous actor (7/10). "I Wanna Drift Away" is a sweet song sung in the heart accompanied by a violin with a melancholy aspect reminiscent of the Slavic origins of the musicians. Sensations of freshness and sweet nostalgia will be the impressions that the listener will perceive when listening to this somewhat folk work (7.5 / 10). "Day City" fits directly into technically elaborate Canterbury, as ZOPP might play, but in Soviet times. Passages resembling Causaques cavalcades are interspersed in this resolutely rhythmic and whirling atmosphere. Throughout this improbable mix of old-fashioned 80s synths brave an extraordinary bass line in demonstration mode as Chris SQUIRE could play ... nothing less! (9/10). The opening of a harpsichord on "You" brings us to a nice chorus with grouped and warm voices accompanied by a violin which is equally so. Everything here is BEATLES and classic at the same time, nothing very complicated but delicious (8/10). "Juliet" transports us in a CARAVAN with its specific vocal articulation and its Gabriel FAURé flutes. A cheerful atmosphere with an enchanting chorus will bring us back to the old-fashioned but not bygone era of "Peace and Love" (8/10). "Cold Moon Bolero" is an instrumental piece consisting exclusively of an acoustic guitar, flute and drums. This set deserves special attention because here everything is subtlety and delicacy. A slow and analytical tempo will transport us all along on finely convoluted gasoline vapors, a know-how that is not given to everyone and that can be likened, for example, to groups such as SANGUINE HUM. The end is incredibly beautiful and of rare finesse! (9.5 / 10).

A pity that "Going Back Home" is not of the same ilk ... This title sounds like a charity song for the general impression with a heady chorus, but enhanced by guitars with "Floydian" effects, it is well done but it does not break three legs to a duck ... (7/10). "Midnight in Venice" lives up to its name, with its classical guitar and mandolin playing in duet during the 2:16 minutes without any other instrument or vocals. An interlude that will transport us with skill in the lagoons of the 18th century (7/10). We can position "Mind Stream" between LA BATTERIA for instrumentation with modernized jazzy atmospheres of the sixties and CIRKUS (Canada) for voices with expressionist allures grouped in several staggered layers. This opus deserves to be placed high in the charts for its well put together and catchy melody. The end becomes cinematic and disturbing like in a horror movie ... (8.5 / 10). "House of the Past" begins with a classy harpsichord orchestrated in the style of Ennio MORRICONE. The atmosphere could make us think of a successful blend between SIMON & GARFUNKEL for a few verses and Steve HACKETT for the guitar, but also for the atmosphere present on his album "Voyage of the Acolyte". The whole will be glorified by a few flows of Moog and a pretty delicately interpreted romance (9/10) Surprising and gripping "Elegy" with this almost perfect mix between ALL TRAPS ON EARTH for the dissenting and uninhibited structure and JETHRO TULL for the same reasons at times on the "Thick as a Brick" album. You add a ubiquitous flute and Jazz Rock Fusion of a whole class and you end up with an earworm that says to you: Masterpiece! (9.5 / 10) Good ... "Journey" will not add much more to this cake. We hear voices a little monotonous like a journey that does not move, we would almost fall asleep ... A few notes of brilliant and airy synths will give a little attraction to this trip (7/10). "The Underpass Theme (reprise)" is a short fifty-one second intermission of classical music with several violins, interpreted in a romantic and nostalgic way in the style of Igor OISTRAKH (7/10).

With "Night City" LOST WORLD BAND gives us a real demonstration while mastering their know-how in terms of composition and instrumental dexterity. Here eclecticism is the order of the day, with a wildly rhythmic Canterbury revolving around a Joe JACKSON piano, alternated by moments of classical Jazz and classical music scores with violin. Nice service! (9/10). The least we can say is that this livery takes us from rooster to donkey without transition and without any shame. The titles follow each other but are not alike, even if we can note the omnipresent presence of instruments such as the flute, the violin and sweet voices sometimes a little cheesy but well worked. Going back to the history of this album, I imagine that it is a compilation of the best songs composed in 1992, a "best of" sorted after the hour and before seriously starting their career in 2001. So logically there is no conceptual aspect or common thread here. If I count nine titles out of fourteen (twelve by removing the two very short) which positively caught my attention, I bet that this group already had real potential long before the release of their first official records. They have just proven it with "Awakening Of The Elements" or "Sound Source" see "Solar Power". Instrumentally, nothing to complain about, this group lacks neither technicality nor virtuosity. Composition is always the keystone of a successful project, and this opus undoubtedly is, because it incorporates many tracks that stand out here for their originality and the resulting emotions. These musicians are uninhibited keys who know how to move from one genre to another with a lot of talent. Russia is not a land of Progressive Rock, but LOST WORLD BAND could snowball with such potential. On your headphones!

Back in 2005 I came across the debut album by a trio of Moscow Conservatory luminaries which had been released a few years earlier. The band was Lost World and the album 'Trajectories': I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommended them to others. Over the years, myself and Andy Didorenko (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, violin) have become friends, but what I had not realized until he contacted me some months back was that there was in existence a much earlier album, which was originally just released on cassette back in 1992. Andy described it to me as much more of an art rock album than prog, "It was our very first recording. It sounds a bit naïve now, but it has some really nice moments, especially considering that there was literally no art rock in Russia at that time." When he went back to the original recordings Andy realized there was little which could be done with them, so this is a re-imagined and newly recorded version of the album with Andy being accompanied by long-time flautist Vassily Soloviev and new drummer Matt Brown.

I have always enjoyed the music of Lost World Band (they added the word 'Band' after the first two albums), and their 2019 album 'Spheres Aligned' is a masterpiece, but what would it like to go back to before the beginning? The result is a crossover album which is thoroughly enjoyable indeed, sounding as if it had come out of the UK as opposed to Russia. It has a pastoral and laid-back feeling, with the flute an important instrument and not as much violin as I have come to expect from the guys, and is one of those timeless releases which could have been released any time in the last 50 years. It is modern yet dated, always with fresh sounds and stacks of restraint. One could drive a bus through the holes in the music, there is that much space, which provides plenty of room for the instruments to bounce off each other. All lyrics are in English, and the songs are incredibly accessible, with the vast majority being under four minutes in length and only one more than five. It would be interesting to compare this against the original, as if this is close to the original ideas then it must have had quite an impression this close to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Lost World Band continue to be one of my favourite bands out of Russia, one of the strongholds of progressive music, and while this may be somewhat removed from the style they normally play today, it is still a wonderful album.