OT&DO AT THE PLACE

So these review requests are always fun ones, some obscure Russian prog album, more often than not, a live one. They generally tend to follow similar sorts of sounds, taking extremely clear influence from early prog, more or less entirely instrumental, and focusing far more on bringing forth a multitude of lovely melodies. This album is not so different in that sense, being more of a collection of jams each following a particular rhythm and melody, almost always purely enjoyable, even when not always particularly complex, focusing far more on creating pleasant compositions over attempting to go out of their way with experimentation, an approach which I more than support, as not everything needs to go out of its way to do something new.

From the very first track, it's made clear that one of the most prominent features of the album as a whole is the bass, which is quite far in the front of the mix, displaying excellent interplay between these groovy basslines and the upbeat keyboards, all while the drums maintain this upbeat tone. Countdown is a more laid back track, but another fun one nonetheless, some of the keyboard work around the halfway mark especially being notable for the skillful rhythmic interplay between each element of the band. This is another case of a band having a very full sound despite being a mere trio for the most part, managing to create a complete sound without much use of guitar, similarly to Emerson Lake and Palmer. Songs such as May I bring forth a jazzier sound that I'm quite a fan of, as it brings a bit more variety to it all. Circus Burnt is easily the best track here and it's not even close, demonstrating a lot more confidence in their abilities all around, with a frenetic bassline and an extremely notable Mozart influence to it all, culminating in a very fun track.

While I did say that I completely support the idea of focusing on making enjoyable music above feeling the need to experiment, I do feel like this band tends to play it a bit safe regardless, as if they aren't fully confident in their ability to improvise. This leaves the majority of the songs sounding lovely, but a little half baked, a lack of expansion on key motifs creating a lot of tracks that don't really feel like all that much. That isn't to say that this lacks potential, because the core sound presented, along with the better moments off the album display the likelihood of further improvement. Despite this general disjointed, underdeveloped feeling that some songs leave, I'd still say that on the whole, I do enjoy this album, as the production and general sound prove to be great, it's just that it could use some refining.

Best tracks: Sonata, Circus Burnt

Weakest tracks: Yalta, Road To Caribs

Verdict: While quite enjoyable for the most part, bringing forth lovely melodies and some great interplay between the 3 main instruments of the band, I can't help but feel as if this lacks the finesse and refinement that would turn this pleasant album into a great one. I'd say it's worht a listen, but don't come into it expecting a full blown masterpiece.