seven

vesna (alex gaponenko and dimitri tchernjak) came practically out of nowhere with this full-length album (considering they previously had just a single appearance on "ru.electronic" compilation), and turned out to be one of the most impressive albums I have heard from russian idm scene this year. this is yet another successful duo from thriving st. petersburg electronic community.

melodic idm created by vesna is a smooth, refined mixture of laid-back percussion augmented with muffled splintery crunchy noises; constant rhythms provide a nice structured background for romantic, spacey melodies. it is always quiet, never gloriously upbeat, never pretentiously gloomy - gentle melodies, well-crafted delicate percussion, a few glitchy sounds here and there, a tangled idm gimmick, warm analog strings among playful bouncy key sequences. it balances the modern high-tech idm wizardry with dreamy analog melodies and this peculiar warm radiance. of course, it does not allow you to relax completely - every once in a while it drops heavier percussion, or moves into darker melodic realms.

there is nothing radically new, nothing radically unique about this album, but it creates this strangely transparent and yet so tangible world filled with soft melancholic melodies and intricate percussion textures. as a comparison, I would mention warmer, quieter tracks by eu.

watch out for vesna's upcoming 7" release on n5md label, which, judging by the samples on the site, will be an outstanding little treat.