For obvious reasons, the moon was on my mind all week. So I was trying to figure out what I should recommend this week that would fit thematically. Brian Eno’s Apollo: atmosphere and soundtrack Incredible, and if you haven’t heard it, do it now. But it also seemed a bit on the nose. radiohead’s moon shaped pool This also came to mind. But it also seemed a little obvious. Then I remembered Kate Envy room for the moonA record that I repeated in 2020.
Russian artist Kate Shilonosova pursues ideas in 11 tracks inspired by Russian and Japanese pop of the 70s and 80s, as well as children’s films. it clearly leads room for the moon To indulge its most eccentric impulses. It’s a fairy tale presented in pounding Talking Heads-esque bass, proggy synths and reverberated drum machines.
Opener “Not Not Not” is almost mindless, its chaotic melodies constantly dancing around each other in a disorienting manner. It moves asymmetrically, spinning like a flat tyre. The instrumental “Da Na” follows, based on a familiar but slightly ethereal palette of sounds. The Shehnai (?) keeps going in and out in a dissonant tone as if it is drunk. Tuned percussion elements fly around him, which might be a canary seed shell shaker or someone running one’s fingers on the teeth of a comb. It’s really impossible to tell, and the two seem just as likely as each other.
“Sayonara (Full Moon Version)” is the dreamy daydream counterpart of Oingo Boingo’s nightmarish new wave theatrics. The least weird track on the record is probably “Plans”, which perfectly embraces the ’80s dance pop aesthetic. But that song also finds room for a minute-long instrumental passage, featuring a bleating, almost atonal saxophone solo.
Although the sounds are strange, uncomfortable and at times almost strange, the songs are light and dreamy. Despite not understanding the lyrics, which are mostly in Russian, it’s impossible not to get a sense of hope from them. kate nv room for the moon This is no sad moonlight lullaby, but the pleasant dreams of an innocent mind.
<a href