seven

vesna is back, and this time around they are after the north american/european music scene with this 7" on n5md, scheduled to be released (a witty play on the band's name) on the first day of spring. this russian duo from st. petersburg previously graced (very limited) ears of those that were lucky to get their hands on their full-length release on cheburec.

side a opens with "mone" that slowly enters with dark brooding bassline contrasted by warm keys finding their way through saturated percussion pulses. it moves at a leisurely pace, carefully placing heavy percussion drops. this tough crunchiness and simple melody reminded me of "exclude" by quench. "mone" appears to be darker than their previous material on cheburec - a change I can only welcome.

"aesde" on side b throws a few breakbeats on top of mysterious strings, building cold and intriguing track. vibrating bassline and clashes of snares explode in your face out of nowhere, while the melody is carefully exploring the sonic horizons. a few well-placed unique sounds, an atmosphere that shifts from quiet ambient pauses to delicate yet firm percussion - and you have a track that is perfectly dark and absolutely refined. I would be interested in seeing more material in this direction.

the vinyl works on both speeds, it is tough to decide which one is preferable, depending on the mood you are after. too bad it is just two tracks, that barely give you an adequate representation of the band's sound. on the other hand, this release could be a little gem, perfected and refined for its format. no wonder toytronic records added it to the list of their recommended listening in their last news release.