Resolute post-rock of Moscow indie-scene heroes In A Nutshell. Heavy pressure from the very first track, nothing pointed to thunderstorms: quiet crowd, soft guitar start and tenacious male voice promising endless pleasures and satisfaction.It sound as if cunning musicians of 21st century moved to 60s and started merciless and bloodthirsty actions. They have already heard Pink Floyd, they know that rock'n'roll is dead and what they are going to do with it. At the same time it's some kind of acid trip from 60s to nowadays: they don't know Radiohead and Mogwai. But they know for sure what to play and listen. They feel the spirit of Woodstock, they are not hippies, they are the vanguard of acid army.
In A Nutshell treats music almost like in academical style. No hooks, theatrical riffs and other heritage signs of 'hit' epoch. Exclusively integral complicated compositions longing more than 10 minutes. Nevertheless vocal part has similar features with Syd Barrett. Album of gloomy hallucinations and chill-out. The team's debut made us think of their following creative work of advanced system administrators, but in this composition the musicians kept aloof from modern reality and deepened into timeless spaces.
All compositions are impregnated with piercing melancholy, but track "Sudden Poetic Attack" differs from other compositions: pseudo-relaxed folk-rock blossoming out with everything that was grown up in the previous tracks. This track is followed by the last composition being out of the whole guitar canvas: cover version of Coil; electronical ambient with female voice reading some text.
The album's cover is worth separate mentioning - it's made in the form of a book with illustrations for tracks and lyrics on its pages. This label and team demonstrate really high quality of music representation. It's a wonderful album setting new standards both for the team and for Russian indie-scene (by the way, new albums of Silence Kit and Everything Is Made In China in some way resemble the work of In A Nutshell).
- Lagunamuch records
- In A Nutshell