ICE FLEET

The cliche with art is that it "grows on you". In the case of music, this might mean that the other proverbial phonograph needle finally dropped after multiple listens. For such an occurrence, the piece must compel more auditions than one might deem sensible, so some hypnotic manipulation might be necessary. I submit that Russia's KAUAN are masters at this, and much more of course.

They are back to a real life story for "Ice Fleet", their (as of this writing) last release. In the 1930s an ancient fleet of unknown origin was discovered frozen in the remote wastelands of northern Russia, around which many legends have sprung. In another similarity to prior works like "Sorni Nai", this is really one long track that the band has split 7 ways, and the divisions seem haphazard. You know I am not crazy about that, but I am about pretty much everything else here...now.

The band's softest album was the previous "Kaiho", and perhaps their heaviest was its predecessor "Sorni Nai". "Ice Fleet" splits the difference, with a few growling metal passages that craftily upend reflective moments, the best example being the third track "Maanpako", which really cuts the ice of a lackluster start to the whole opus just shy of its 2 minute mark. Conversely, introspective passages wisely "yin" the death and doom, as in the later parts of "Raivo". The last 2 tracks introduce and culminate a melody of the imprisoned ships that, as arranged, rivals the best of the "Kaiho" album, which is not always the case elsewhere. It also, in the quivering arrangements, is best enjoyed under a throw blanket at the hearth.

I'm going to mention the long lived Finnish group TENHI again because there are, as always, similarities, particularly in "Enne" and "Kutsu", but I think what has allowed KAUAN to surpass that group is that I never felt like TENHI was all on board with a singular approach, not a style, mind, since both groups are all over the map. but with a philosophy around their work. Asd a result, while I cherish selected highlights by TENHI, KAUAN's projects seem more unified, my gripes regarding how they are split notwithstanding.

Under dogged again by KAUAN's spell. I believe this is a group offering much more than fleeting pleasures to those who seek out emotion wrapped in folk, post rock, and permafrost.