Review: Staraya Derevnya ‘Garden Window Escape’
From their early beginnings with the album Expedition, which showcased Gosha Shtasel‘s talent for crafting simple yet deeply moving folk ballads steeped in the earthy beauty of Israelian/Russian musical traditions, Staraya Derevnya has undergone a remarkable evolution, blossoming into something that could only spring from the mind of a true musical artistic mind.
With an insatiable curiosity and love for pushing the boundaries of avant-garde composition, Gosha, fearlessly experiments with eclectic instrumentation and draws inspiration from a vibrant tapestry of cultures, weaving together disparate sounds and styles into a majestic, ever-shifting soundscape not easy to categorise. Through his multicultural Israeli/London collective, Shtasel acts as a sonic alchemist, transmuting the raw materials of various musical idioms into something altogether new and spellbinding.
His Staraya Derevnya compositions flow organically, each element blending seamlessly into the next, creating an immersive aural experience as an invitation to lose ourselves in the music’s lush textures and evocative melodies. The integrity of the artist shines through in every note, his unwavering commitment to his singular vision is evident in the meticulous craftsmanship and soulful depth of his work. The music he created together with Staraya Derevnya is a haunting, enigmatic landscape that takes us in a realm where the boundaries between reality and nightmare blur.
His dark, storyteller-esque vocals are both captivating and unsettling, unleashing twisted laments that seem to emanate from the depths of anguish and torment. These chilling vocals pierce the soul, evoking a profound sense of unease as they hint at the complex psychological and emotional depths that lie beneath the surface. His voice is used as a conduit for the intricacies of the human psyche, laying bare the raw, primal emotions that most keep hidden away.
The instrumentation, while deceptively simple at first glance, undergoes a metamorphosis in Gosha‘s hands. He masterfully manipulates each element, distorting and warping sounds until they become otherworldly and improbable. Even the drums, played in a traditional manner by Roman born Andrea Serafino, find themselves engulfed by the cacophonous maelstrom conjured by the other instruments.
Rhythms become disjointed and syncopated, further disorienting those who listen and amplifying the sense that they have stepped into an alternate dimension where the usual rules no longer apply. In this auditory realm the collective have woven, the familiar becomes strange, and the impossible becomes a manifestation. Attempting to categorise or define their music is an exercise in futility, for it defies easy classification and explanation. Instead, one must simply surrender to the experience, allowing to be drawn ever deeper into the unsettling yet mesmerising world its leader has birthed through his singular creative vision.
Getting into the devastating work of all Staraya Derevnya’s discography was another superb and continuous revelation, a musical journey that pushed the boundaries of the rock genre to its cerebral extremes. The absurd yet communicative sounds sent chills down my spine, resonating on a primal level. But nothing could have prepared me for the indescribable devastation of their follow-up, Garden Window Escape. This is captivating work that once you start to dive deeper into its mesmerising world, you’ll find yourself enveloped by an otherworldly sonic landscape that defies convention and ignites the imagination.
This avant-garde experimental jazz masterpiece pushes the boundaries of imagination to their breaking point…
The album’s schizophrenic beauty is a kaleidoscope of absurd sounds and unexpected twists, each track a cerebral journey that pushes the boundaries of what music can be. The instrumentation is a wild and untamed beast, with each note seeming to play by its own rules in a dizzying dance of free jazz experimentation. The Russian vocals add an enigmatic layer to the already mind-bending experience, the lyrics are a cryptic wordplay that tantalises and perplexes in equal measure.
Yet amidst the chaos and unpredictability, a haunting theme emerges – that of the memento mori, a reminder of our own mortality. As Gosha explains, this motif was not intentional but rather organically wove its way into every song, lending the album a profound and introspective depth. As you start your listening journey through the seven tracks of this ‘absent-minded Dadaist painting’, prepare for your mind to be either obliterated or expanded beyond the confines of your wildest imaginings, leaving you teetering between exhilarating terror and blissful numbness.
From the moment the backwards-sung opening notes of Tight-Lipped Thief caress your eardrums, you find yourself ensnared, powerless to resist the album’s beguiling spell. What I Keep In My Closet assaults your senses with an irresistible, fear-inducing, mesmerising cacophony, its complexity rivalling the most intricate visions of hell or the soul-crushing sound of a leprosy-stricken patient’s laboured steps, further amplified by the accompanying vocals that pierce your heart with their anguished intensity.
The album’s standout twelve minute epic track, Half-Deceased Uncle, depicts each musician locked in a seemingly eternal staring contest with their instruments until they erupt in tortured screams, leaving you disoriented, unsure of your listening environment, your only certainty being the sensation of entrapment within a tribal nightmare dreamscape, paralyzed and unable to escape. This avant-garde experimental jazz masterpiece pushes the boundaries of imagination to their breaking point, its heartbreaking nature laid bare.
Cork Flight Operation offers a momentary reprieve, its calmness tinged with an undercurrent of pain, evoking the solemnity of a march into an unknown place. In Onwards, Through The Garden Window, each instrument is played with reverent solemnity, birthing pure, minimalist sounds that transport the listener to a realm of shamanic and pastoral wonder, the lyrics potentially holding the key to deciphering the album’s enigmatic title. As the final track, Myshhh, washes over you, it grants a moment to catch your breath and unwind, its melodies gently guiding you back to the humble reality of your earthly existence.
Garden Window Escape is a testament to the power of music to transcend language and cultural barriers, inviting the listener to lose themselves in a labyrinthine soundscape that challenges preconceptions and ignites the imagination.
Label: Ramble Records | Auris Media Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
