CHINESE SONGS - PART ONE

Little Tragedies is a Russian band that plays complex and beautiful symphonic prog although they cannot be easily shoeboxed into one genre sound. This is my first album of theirs and I was quite impressed. Masterful musical storytelling and incredible playing make this very exciting music. Every song takes you somewhere different and interesting; they really have a lot of variety and a very modern, eclectic personality. These guys remind me a bit of the French band Cafeine but with more space and ambiguity. Yet another sign that perhaps Russia is the place to look for great new prog albums---and in my opinion this band deserves the attention thrown to the less interesting Gourishankar.

"I'm sitting" begins with a lovely electric guitar leading into the first vocals backed by keyboards. Vocals are in Russian but the lyric booklet provides English translation which is nice. At times I am reminded of Italian prog due to the thoughtful arrangements and depth. There is beautiful melody here from both the guitar and keyboard, I love it. "Absorbed in My Thoughts" attacks from the start with a much heavier sound than the first track. Everyone is just jamming, lots of exuberant keys, nimble emotional lead guitar, and oh boy the drumming! I have a new addition to my list of favorite drummers: Yury Skripkin. This man is a monster! He hits with near Bonham-like violence but with the insane fills of the most technical players. At time this songs get so furious as to approach Crimson territory but they never get muddy or skronked out, it always stays tasteful and tuneful first. "Sitting Carefree in the Shadow of the Pavillion" begins with a vocal that reminds me a little of a Decamps style over synths. In fact, the vocals throughout sound a bit like a quiet, restrained Ange storytelling. They don't bother me because they're low in the mix and not in your face, but I agree with Igor that I'd like to see more instrumental work from this band and less singing. Their music is animated enough that it doesn't need a bunch of yapping. Back to the song. A long keyboard solo without percussion is quite nice and slow. The whole song is keys and vocals and it's a nice breather after the last rocker. "At the Window" is wild, with sort of a jazzy reggae sound if you can imagine that. Great bass and drums, nice sax solos. "There Came an Unexpected Guest" is a real highlight with fiery guitars, propulsive keys and more of the killer drumming. This song hits orbit and later closes with some nice piano. At 13 minutes long, "Wanderer" is the albums most pretentious moment. She starts with slow, lonely, sad flute-like keyboards for 4 minutes before the vocals and some single guitar notes rise. The entire track is a variation of slow drifting keyboard experiments that will bore some but please the "soundscape" lovers. "Do You Remember How We Said Goodbye" begins with piano and a wistful mood before the band crashes in halfway through in what is more or less a good pop song.

Certainly a recommended title to any fan of sophisticated music. It is adventurous and beautiful, it executes what it attempts, and the playing is stellar without being mechanical. This could appeal to fans across almost any genre base due to its variety and quality. 3.25 stars.